 | Issue: | Global-ICT 2004 |
| Article no.: | 5 | |
| Topic: | Prepaid and Emerging Markets: A Winning Combination | |
| Author: | Howard Woolf | |
| Title: | President | |
| Organisation: | Comverse Intelligent Networks | |
| PDF size: | 196KB |
About author
Howard Woolf is the President of Comverse’s Intelligent Networks Division. Previously, Mr. Woolf was the CEO of Odigo, Inc. a supplier of instant messaging and presence software products and services until Comverse acquired the company. Prior to Odigo Mr. Woolf served as President of the Americas for Intel/Dialogic Division, as Director of Worldwide Sales Operations for Compaq/Digital, and as National Marketing & Sales Manager for Digital Equipment Corporation in the United States, where he had previously been the Business Unit Manager Software Business Development. Prior experience with the General Electric Company and in running his own consulting company round out Mr. Woolf’s career. Mr. Woolf has a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Clarkson College of Technology and an MBA in Finance from Boston College.
Article abstract
Prepaid services account for the majority of global mobile phone usage, and are growing at a faster rate than post-paid services. This trend is best reflected in Latin America and the Commonwealth of Independent States (ex-USSR). Originally, prepaid telephony was offered as a way to reduce the operators’ exposure to bad debts. However, it has become an attractive option for a wide variety of users seeking to control costs and users are now demanding the same services as post-paid users.
Full Article
Prepaid phone service was originally perceived in emerging markets as having the primary benefit of reducing bad debt for high-risk subscribers and the price-conscious youth market. However, prepaid phone service has raised its profile to become the preferred choice of payment for all types of subscribers, and they are beginning to demand the same respect as postpaid customers.
