Virtual operator: Look up the pattern, bury your head and do the details.

With the fifth batch of virtual operator licenses issued, the Chinese virtual carrier family has become further huge, enterprises cover home appliances, games, video, clothing and other fields, but the competition is also increasing. 2015, the virtual operator or the year of life and death.

After a year of development, virtual operators have gradually explored the differentiated development strategy and business model, diversified product design, diversified service channels and "Cross-border", "let" and other characteristics, is the private communications operators to win the user's fundamental, but also the basic operators can not compare.

Suning Internet Deputy General manager Shuai in the interview with Tencent Science and Technology, said: "The New Year, the virtual operator is the most important thing is to look at the pattern, buried head to do the details." ”

Explore new patterns

At present, the first echelon of the virtual operators in Beijing-east, Su Ning, Ali, etc. for the representative of the enterprise, the main package fee and the main business combination, users in the use of communications based on the user can also enjoy shopping concessions, financial management, game points and other privileges, each has its own market segments and characteristics.

For the business model of the virtual operator, Shizhihang, chairman of the industry-focused segment, said to Tencent technology, "we aim at markets that are not tapped by the three major operators, or those that they disdain to develop." Although the current domestic mobile market saturation is already very high, but in many market segments, the user's needs are not well satisfied. The three major operators to the needs of small public attention is not enough, there are many market opportunities, this is our virtual operators need to seize. ”

Shuai, deputy general manager of Suning Interconnection, pointed out that after a year of pilot, a number of virtual operators have found their own business model and development routes, the future "light operation", "wet operation" of the virtual operators will certainly have a lot, but not necessarily the current mobile resale of this simple business model.

Some analysts believe that the current strength of the virtual operators dare to sing in decline and the problem continues to move forward, because this product is ultimately beneficial to consumers, its selling point will be the achievement of its market. The so-called niche market is only the first step, and the malleable market segments are sustainable.

Up to now, the number of users planning more than 500,000 of the virtual operators are very few, if you have to sum up the experience must be attributed to its Communications category innovation breakthrough. If different from the traditional consumer communications, suning Interconnection advocated "gain communication" mode, is the user enjoy the basis of communication services, in the shopping, financial management, social entertainment and other daily activities while the extra concessions and even free access to communications resources. Through "Gain communication", suning users can not only enjoy the basic communication of high quality, but also enjoy free value-added services such as free communication resources, financial management and double income, and receive practical concessions and other value-added privileges. Similar to the game of virtual operators also include Jingdong, snail Mobile, gome (micro-bo) communications.

The analysts pointed out that the single industry model, which is different from traditional consumer communication, has stimulated the user to increase communication, shopping and financial management, and has greatly promoted the growth of business volume and social consumption in the communication industry.

Relevant data show that the current Chinese traditional consumer communications market is about 1.5 trillion, even if the category of gain communications only to reach its 1% market share, gain communications category market will still reach 15 billion, while pulling the entire business volume of the communications industry, will directly stimulate China's social consumption of more than 220 billion.

Of course, this is only part of the development of virtual operators, most virtual operators are still in the groping period. such as the first licensing enterprises in a number of technology, music language, China-Xiang Lian Xin, north latitude communications, such as communications, such as the sky still no clear business model. Whether the formation of "gain communication" also depends on the dynamics of Enterprise's transformation.

Look forward to the introduction of policy rules

2014, private enterprises into the communications industry broke the long-standing monopoly situation, fair competition in the market environment, the strength of the virtual operator is advantageous, at this time to fight is the product technology, innovative service capabilities, can do a good product experience for users of the enterprise will eventually in this market firm footing.

"The future of virtual operators will be light assets, heavy operation." A virtual operator should do more than just communicate, its advantage is ductility. "Snail Mobile President Chen Yan to Tencent Technology."

In addition to the above, the support of the policy in the big pattern of the virtual operators to remove obstacles. If the "zero upside down" phenomenon, although there are still existing, but the Government has taken relevant measures.

It is understood that last October, some virtual operators and basic operators signed a "mobile resale business price dynamic adjustment mechanism" agreement; for "170th segment can not receive authentication code and verify the text message" problem, the Ministry of Industry requires the Internet companies to actively cooperate with mobile communications resale Enterprises, do a good job of coordination and communication; The resale of 4G business and the acceptance of the Internet by the basic operators show an open attitude towards the virtual operators.

It is understood that suning interconnection, sharing communications, such as China Mobile (micro-BO) 4G test has been completed, business development has entered a comprehensive trial operation phase, is expected to be able to meet with users before the Spring Festival.

Objectively speaking, although our country's virtual operation business is facing such unfavorable factors at present, but compared with other countries, China's natural market capacity is big, business potential is deep, market demand is broad and other favorable factors.

In this connection, the Ministry of Industry and Telecommunications Institute planning Xu Lidong said: "Innovation to determine the future of virtual operators, traffic resale is the direction of intelligent terminals for the carrier, mobile Internet business innovation as the core, so that China or will be born a group of ' large ' virtual operators. ”

2015, 42 virtual operators to battle, not only the test of innovation, but also need the country to introduce more detailed development standards, such as user development requirements, elimination mechanism, zero upside down penalties and other rules.