Virtual operators develop into the market running-in period, the actual user is not optimistic

At present, the virtual operators in the domestic development has entered the market running-in period, 42 private enterprises began "eight, recount", as by the end of 2015 pilot assessment of the user size has certain requirements, which means that 2015 will become a virtual operator of the year.

From the actual understanding of the situation, the overall performance is not satisfactory, the 42 licensed virtual operators, the real launch of the relevant business less than half, and most of the first two batches of individual private enterprises.

In the face of the market and users, more feedback is "never heard of virtual operators", "lack of special services, too lazy to change the number", "Dare not easily trust and so on." The development of virtual operators after a high-profile admission, began to fall into the embarrassing situation of brand recognition difficult.

The actual user is not optimistic

Public data show that 2014 virtual operator Enterprise investment is expected to exceed 700 million yuan, about less than 20 enterprises officially put number, the development of users accumulated about 2 million households. The latest data obtained by the media show that the current user is close to 3.3 million households.

China's first virtual operator License Network game Enterprise Snail Mobile also announced that its 170th card-free users have exceeded 1 million, seemingly development momentum is booming, but the actual user use situation is worrying.

According to a virtual operator who declined to be named, the overall user growth is orderly, but there is a certain "water", that is, the actual activation of users far from the current figure. In response, the media to the snail mobile asked the actual activation of users, the other party to "never external disclosure of this number" did not give a reply.

In fact, it is easy to see that less than 20 home number, user total level of 2 million or so, if the average to one, also about 100,000 users, and like snail Mobile, suning interconnection, gome (micro-bo) communications, Eschde, di-letter, Ali Communications, Beijing-East communications, such as the previous admission of more than 100,000 households. Because of the sales model, the base is different, the actual activation of the user volume difference is naturally not small, the overall activation rate is not high.

The above data show that at present, the development of more users of several enterprises are: snail mobile about 1 million households, suning interconnection about 750,000 households, Gome communications about 370,000, Di-letter about 330,000 households, Eschde about 230,000 households, about 180,000 days, bus online about 100,000 households, about 80,000 east Beijing. "The actual activation rate, to the wholesale sales model of several enterprises less than 50%, the other activation rate maintained at 60% to 80%, preferably 90%." said the person.

The so-called activation user, refers to the purchase of mobile phone number of users really open the business and use of communications-related services. In accordance with the requirements of operators for cooperative virtual operators, a core indicator is the number of activated users issued 170th number, or the activation rate must reach a certain percentage. such as China Unicom (micro-BO) to the cooperative virtual operators in each city for the first time number 3,000, but the request activation rate of 50% to put down a batch number.

The reason for this is that operators do not want to release the number 170th of their own in the hands of the virtual operator, or even if the number is in the hands of users, but user activation is low, so that affect the operator's ARPU value. (arpu:average Revenue per user abbreviation, ARPU value focuses on the revenue that an operator receives from each subscriber in a time period)

"My daily task is to have a number with the operator, but I have to reach the required activation rate." "A representative of the virtual operator who cooperated with Unicom said frankly. In order to ensure the activation rate, the virtual operators to develop user speed will not be too fast, so the overall user size growth is limited.

Brand awareness is a difficult problem

Throughout the development of the virtual operators last year, there are high-profile propaganda, but also whispered, but the mentality is stones. In addition to the lack of effective supervision, unified system and other major environmental factors, the most likely to face the problem is how to create a difference with the traditional operators of the business, and to establish a user awareness of the brand.

In the beginning of the card and put number, the snail Mobile card-free "0 rent, no package, flow is not clear 0", Jingdong, Ali 170 card net purchase rebate, indeed has triggered a period of "virtual business upsurge." But more enterprises still put the emphasis on the promotion of tariffs, more enterprises are shouting out the virtual operators should play a price war argument.

But at the market and user levels, these do not work. Some users of the communications circle in the media to accept the survey, the inherent carrier brand has been deeply rooted, virtual operators such as no special services, the number can not become low-cost things can not attract users, can not be aware of the virtual operator brand.

As a result, during the Spring Festival Gala this year, the snail moved to become the first virtual operator to put on TV commercials. Such active branding is not only beneficial to snails, but also to the industry as a whole.

2015 virtual trader will enter the sprint year, want to quickly expand the user, the tree brand, is the key. Through the influence of the media brand spread, so that more consumers understand and trust 170th products.

To this, Suning interconnection is responsible for the sale of senior executives Shuai to the media: "Virtual operators as the Forces nouvelles, mobile phone number can not identify the problem of interconnection and interoperability problems, the main face of the lack of the underlying technology, such as user access to the Internet, directional flow, etc. The lack of these low-level technologies restricts the virtual operators to explore more accurate marketing model, and brand building will be affected. ”

Kangzhibin, the CEO of sharing Communications, also has the same feeling, he said: "Brand and lack of awareness." Many users are not clear about the concept of virtual operators. and foreign different, domestic consumer to the virtual operator cognition is insufficient. ”

Virgin is a foreign virtual operator of the success of the model, can be ranked in the world's most respected one of the five brands, because he through a variety of brand marketing activities, so that "virgin" and fun to draw the equal sign, creating a people like to touch the brand.

China's virtual operators also need to appear similar to the dynamic zone, the global Qualcomm, Shenzhou, Unicom, the same brand, the need to adopt more ways in the 2015 brand marketing, increase in the user level of awareness.

Special business model needed

Virtual operators have been seen as a potential breakthrough in the mobile market monopoly of "catfish", but the premise is to distinguish between the traditional market characteristics of the business, in the lack of brand awareness, such business needs appear more urgent.

In response to the current virtual carrier industry as a whole slow development of the reason, the bus online chairman Wang Jinhu to the media: "The virtual operator market is still very large, but has yet to be developed." The fictitious merchant has contributed a lot in the business innovation aspect, "not clear 0", "No Package", "Share, donation" and so on. It should be said that through the user group segmentation and the need for accurate locking, to solve the actual needs of some users, but there is still a lot of innovation space. ”

From the virtual operators announced earlier package content, all package structure is around the data business, and the basic operators to make up for voice and SMS revenue decline, is also adjusting the focus of business development, the main data business, which also makes virtual operators business attractive discount.

To this end, some virtual operators began to seek outlets around the main business. such as Suning to create the gain of communication development model, through with the group shopping, finance, real estate and other business sectors to get through the integration, to bring users such as flow market, financial management, such as dual-income differentiated service platform. "At the strategic level, through the in-depth integration with intelligent hardware, to create" hardware + Application + operator Service "Hardware and software industry-wide chain model. "Shuai said.

At the same time, bus online last year also launched a financial attribute of the "flow Bank" innovative business model, to guide users to order "traffic treasure" products to achieve free communication. Wang Jinhu said: "This year we plan to further introduce more innovative new products, mobile Internet to operate the communications business, details are still not disclosed, please wait and see." ”

Talking about the future of competition and survival, Shuai Frankly, as the virtual operators of the end of the date approaching, there is no doubt that the virtual operators will face shuffle. Looking at the current development of virtual operators, emphasizing the user-oriented, let the user, pay attention to enhance the user experience, to provide users in addition to the basic communications services, a variety of "cross-border" services, is the private communications operators distinguish between the traditional operators of the characteristics, but also the private communications operators to win the ultimate

For virtual operators, the establishment of business model is very important, that is, whether the virtual operators combine the main business and the advantages of resources to the overall operating objectives of the enterprise-oriented, tight grasp users just need to launch distinctive products and services, the formation of commercial closed-loop.

China's communications market is a trillion-tier market, the current traditional consumer communications market scale of about 1.5 trillion yuan, to suning interconnection gain communication For example, even if only to reach its 1% market share, the gain communication category market will still reach 15 billion yuan, while pulling the entire communications industry business volume, Will directly stimulate China's social consumption of more than 220 billion.

According to the development law of the global virtual operators, 70% of the virtual operators will withdraw from the mobile virtual Operation market within 5 years, and the virtual operators should take the differentiated innovation based on their own business as the future development direction. Wang Jinhu says the business model largely determines whether it survives and how long it survives.