Mobile prices have dropped 1/3rd in 12 months

Mobile phone competition is working, according to Sure. The mobile phone operator has revealed that call charges have dropped by up to 33% in the 12 months since its service was launched.

Cable & Wireless launched its local mobile service using the Sure brand on 3rd July 2007. Its first year of operation has been characterised by lower prices for all local mobile users, as well as over £120,000 of investment into the local community.

Simon Last-Sutton, Sure’s Commercial Director in the Isle of Man, said:

“We believe it’s important to invest in both customers and the community. Our first birthday celebration is a great example of that philosophy. We’ll be throwing a party for the whole community as well as raising money for charity!”

Sure’s birthday celebration will be a free fun day for all the family on Saturday 5th July. The fun day will take place from 12pm – 5pm when Douglas Promenade will be transformed into a carnival atmosphere. There will be bouncy castles, face painters, Punch and Judy and giant outdoor games to play. There’ll be Manx folk music to keep everyone entertained. There’ll also be lots of goodies given away by Sure staff throughout the day.

Mr Last-Sutton added:

“We wanted to organise something fun and free as part of the Tynwald weekend to say thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past year. There will be a serious side to the day too. We have chosen Wish Upon a Dream as our charity of the year. We will be working with them on Project Dolphin, which will grant a very ill young islander his wish to go on the holiday of a lifetime. So, I urge everyone to bring some money for the collection tins on the day, or they can drop money into our store if unable to attend.”

Sure invested £10 million to establish its network and operation on the island and has then spent a further £120,000 in the last year sponsoring local organisations and supporting charities.

In July last year, the company signed a three year agreement to become the sponsor of the new Sure Mobile Football Premier League, the Sure Mobile Women’s League, the Sure Mobile Women’s FA Cup, and the women’s national side. In August 2007, Sure supported the Manx Grand Prix, and followed this in February by announcing the company would sponsor both sidecar races in TT 2008 & 2009. Sure is also in the middle of a three year deal as official telecommunications partner for the TT. The company has also been keen to support individual sporting stars, such as Jurby-based driver, Nick Crowe and his passenger, Mark Cox who won both the Sure Sidecar races at this year’s TT. Sure is also a principal sponsor of the 2007/08 British Olympic Association Snowsport Athlete of the Year and Isle of Man Sportswoman of the Year, Zoe Gillings.

Sure sponsored two nights of the Peel Bay Festival, the 2007 Viking Festival and was one of the principal businesses supporting last year’s Isle of Woman Festival. The company has had stands at many community events, including the Southern Agricultural Show and Isle of Man Motor Show. Sure has donated prizes and support to a host of other events and organisations.

Sure’s operation has made a huge impression on the whole mobile market in the island. When it launched, domestic call charges were immediately reduced by 25%. At only 20p per minute, Sure mobile also reduced the cost for contract customers to call UK mobiles by a third. Manx Telecom was forced to react to some of those call price reductions during the year.

The mobile operator has been responsible for a number of other innovations in the past year. Sure is still the only operator to offer tri-island mobile price plans for businesses that have staff travelling regularly across the Channel Islands & Isle of Man. No Sure customers pay roaming charges when in those islands, another saving. It also offers both contract and Pay as you go customers more destinations where they can use their mobile phone when abroad. Sure introduced the opportunity to ‘carry over’ minutes, texts and pictures from a Pay monthly service from one month to the next and also began the practice of providing free phones for customers taking out a contract.

Mr Last-Sutton said:

“It’s been a very hectic, but rewarding 12 months. What is great for the whole island is that these statistics underline how rewarding competition is for consumers. We expect to have 12,000 customers by the end of this month, which is a great achievement. I’d like to thank everyone who has chosen to join Sure in the past 12 months but especially our partners and founding customers who have made this such a successful year. We intend to continue fighting hard to earn loyalty by providing great service and value for money.”

What value has Sure mobile brought to the IoM?

Call charges

Domestic and national call prices cut at launch by 25%.

At launch it was 20% cheaper for Sure mobile Pay as you go users to call other Sure mobiles. At only 20p per minute, calling UK mobiles cost 33% less for Sure mobile customers. Manx Telecom later reacted to those price moves making calls cheaper for its own customers.

Sure provides texts for as little as 3p each to any location in the world – less than any other operator.

Roaming

Sure introduced clear pricing for roaming – just four world zones with clear charges for each and same roaming rates for both Pay monthly and Pay as You Go.

Sure is the only network which charges users no roaming charges when in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man. That is a particular saving for travelling professionals.

Sure’s Pay monthly customers can roam onto 350 networks in 147 destinations. Sure’s Pay As You Go customers can use their mobile phone in 33 countries with a choice of 37 different networks.

Businesses

Sure mobile offers special tri-island payment plans for businesses with staff regularly travelling within the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

Sure was the first operator in Europe to launch a Pay as you go service for BlackBerry.

Other value firsts

Free minutes, texts and picture messages left over one month are carried over to the next.

Sure was the first to launch a contract which can be renewed on a month by month basis.

Sure offers ‘boosters’ to allow users to customise their package – extra texts, cheaper roaming, extra data.

Sure launched e-billing as standard at its launch.

Sure has launched a new feature for parents, the ‘Kids Bolt On’, which offers constant free calls to a chosen number, with other usage controlled by the adult.

Finally Sure bills per second, rather than per minute ensuring customers get more call time for their money.

Sure mobile introduced the idea of free deals for those on the same network – for example our Happy Hour promotion and Free Weekends for PAYG users which provides free Sure to Sure calls and texts for £5 top up every weekend from Friday evening to Sunday night.

Electronic top up of any amount above £5 is easier to use and available online.

A choice of free phones for any 12 or 18 month contract.