Bye. That said 6.6 million users to their mobile phone and internet operator in the first half of the year. Telcel was the mobile operator that reported the most line migration in that period: 2.3 million of its users left the company to try another provider. The figure represents 65.1% of the total lines migrated in the period, according to data from the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT).
Telefónica was second on the list, with 2.1 million customers who also decided to change companies; followed by AT&T with 1.5 million users who said goodbye to migrate to another operator. A phenomenon known as portability.
Brian Rodríguez, an analyst at Monex Group Financiero, explained that the migration of Telcel’s mobile lines may be due to the reconfiguration of users that the company has registered in recent months. After the launch of the 5G network, the company has designed postpaid plans with which it has attracted customers who prioritize greater national and international coverage and greater speed, rather than low price.
“At a time when inflation is increasingly worrying, consumers (who prioritize the rate before the advantages offered by 5G) are going to start looking for more affordable options,” says the analyst.
At the end of the first semester, the average expense per user (or ARPU) was 166 pesos, nine pesos more than in the same period of 2021, when it was 157 pesos. They are followed by AT&T, with 141 pesos, Virtual Mobile Operators with 72 pesos and Telefónica with 63 pesos.
In addition, Telcel can no longer refuse to unlock users’ equipment, as part of the asymmetric measures established by the Federal Institute of Telecommunications, considering it a “preponderant agent”, which were renewed in 2020.
To which company did Telcel’s ex-clients go?
Of the 2.3 million users who moved from Telcel, 557,591 went to Telefónica (Movistar); 445,691 to AT&T, while 85,531 users migrated to Bait, Walmart’s Virtual Mobile Network Operator (MVNO).
Telefónica and AT&T currently have an offer that allows users to customize their plans so that they can adjust the monthly rate. In particular, this strategy has helped the company of American origin to have more users in its subscriber base.
Bait, for its part, has promotions related to purchases at Walmart branches. For example, when purchasing Aurrera brands or free brands, users can access an OMV line accompanied by 5,000 MB for one month; or if they already have a line, they access MB only by making purchases in stores, according to the official website of the telephone company.
Where did the users of the other companies go?
Paradoxically, Telcel had the largest customer acquisition of its competitors, because according to data from the telecommunications regulator, in the first six months of the year, it attracted 3.4 million consumers from other companies.
For Jesús Romo, director of the Telconomy consultancy, this “is not a surprise.” Since the possibility of migrating to another telephone company without losing the number was implemented, Telcel has been the company that has benefited the most. “Consumers know that it is the company that has the greatest coverage at the national level,” he says. This makes even former customers return after trying other companies.
