The absence of any impediment to moving between mobile phone operators allows consumers to choose the best deal in the market, and they don't hesitate to transfer allegiances month after month, as August's figures show. Some 200-250,000 Israelis moved between companies last month. Many other consumers made do with revising the amount they pay after comparing prices with rival companies.
In August, Golan Telecom Ltd. was in top place in terms of competition between the mobile operators. Golan Telecom recruited almost double that of the other new player in the market Hot Mobile Ltd.. Golan's success in August was probably due to its second line for NIS 18 per month offer.
In fact Hot recruited more subscribers than Golan but as always its problem is the number that leave meaning that Golan ended the month victorious in terms of net gains.
Among the veteran mobile operators Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) lost most subscribers while Pelephone Communications Ltd. gained subscribers during August for the second-straight month.
Partner suffered for two reasons. The changeover to a new technology disrupted its recruitment drive in the middle of the month. The company also suffers from fictitious recruitment with thousands of SIM cards that were not used for a single call raising the suspicion that marketing staff were mounting fictitious operation to take advantage of benefits offered to new subscribers.
Pelephone's success is due to an intensive attack on Hot's subscribers - in other words a personal approach and tempting offer.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 1, 2014
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