Chapter 1.docx

1. INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS TELECOMUNICATION Telecommunication is the transmissions of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. In modern times this process almost always involves the sending of electromagnetic waves by electronic transmitters but in earlier years it may have involved the use of smoke signals drums or semaphore lines.Than 125 million telephones network is one of the largest communication networks in world, which continues to grow at a blistering pace. The rapid growth in the telecom sector can be attributed to the various pro-active and positive policy measures taken by the government as well as the dynamic and entrepreneurial spirit of the various telecom service providers both in private and public sector. The telecom sector has shown impressive growth during the past decade. Today, moreTwo striking features of this growth viz. increasing preference for mobile phones and higher contribution of private sector in the incremental growth have predominated the telecom sector. The share of mobile phones (including WLL mobile) has overtaken the share of landlines with 62% in the total number of phones. The private sector's contribution is also increasing rapidly. Currently more than 30 lakh phones are being added each month and it is targeted that by the end of 2018 the total number of phones may reach a level of 350 million taking the tele-density to more than 30% which is currently at 24.63%. This project is based on telecom sector as the telecom sector is growing at a very good pace. The telecom company which I have selected for my project is VODAFONE. The reason behind selecting Vodafone is its various schemes in product & service category & also its future policies where the company is coming out with lots of new & affordable schemes for its customers. Vodafone is a UK based company & has various branches all over the world. The company was started in the mid 70’s & since then it has never looked back. The products & services offered by Vodafone is of a very high quality & also at an affordable rates. They have various plans for various customers depending on the status of the customers.

This project is based on telecom sector as the telecom sector is growing at a very good pace. The telecom company which I have selected for my project is VODAFONE. The reason behind selecting Vodafone is its various schemes in product & service category & also its future policies where the company is coming out with lots of new & affordable schemes for its customers. Vodafone is a UK based company & has various branches all over the world. The company was started in the mid 70’s & since then it has never looked back. The products & services offered by Vodafone is of a very high quality & also at an affordable rates. They have various plans for various customers depending on the status of the customers.

Vodafone has various product categories ranging from chargers, internet, mobile phone, headsets & headphones & many more. In the service category it has internet services which include broadband internet & PC internet services. This was one of the biggest events in the history of Indian telecom industry. The phones were available at around 32000-36000 Rs which has a unique feature called as 4G system.

Vodafone also came out with cell phones for the poor which was a part of their social responsibility toward the poor class people of the society. The phones were available in the range of 1000 Rs -1500 Rs which was one of the successful strategies of Vodafone. According to the data, Reliance Jio’s market share stood at 13.71%, few points lower than Vodafone’s and Idea Cellular’s market shares of 18.20% and 16.83% respectively. However, Jio recorded the highest growth rate of wireless subscribers which is 5.27%, among all Telco’s in the month of December. Jio was followed by Idea with 1.25% growth rate in wireless subscribers. .

The master moves by VODAFONE to introduce ZOO-ZOO during the IPL 2 season which was a “SUPER-HIT”. Whether it is zoo-zoos advertisements or the M-Pesa movement in the African market, these vital steps and products have helped the company in creating high TOMA (Top of mind awareness), increasing ARPU (average revenue per user), and customer pulls in the market.

As per Forbes list of brands globally, Vodafone has been ranked 395 out of 2000 brands with a market capitalization of $ 87.3 billion. VODAFONE is planning to come with its own accessories stores which would be a one-time shop for its customers wherein the customers will get all the products under one roof. Vodafone’s future plan is to become no.1 telecom company by the year 2010-2011 which does not seems to be very difficult keeping in mind the progress it has made in the last 5 years. Vodafone has added around 5 million subscribers in the year 2008-2009 which makes it the 3rd largest telecom company in the world. Vodafone has joined hands with one of the world largest & the best car racing company F1 MCLAREN MERCEDES to host the 2 day event. This is the part of the promotion strategy of Vodafone to become the world wide leader in telecom industry.

Vodafone is also the official sponsor of the England Cricket Team for the Npower test series . It has also shaken hands with the most popular football tournament UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE football which is a part of the promotional strategy of Vodafone.

OBJECTIVE: 

To study customer satisfaction of Vodafone.

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To study various Marketing activities provided by Vodafone.

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To study the various services provided by Vodafone.

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To know the expectation of Vodafone Customers.

SCOPE OF STUDY: By analyzing this information, the company would be able to better design schemes & services & target right prospects’ needs & wants, More people will get aware about Vodafone that will increase profit level of Vodafone, This study helps to identify the behavior of consumer when there are no offers & schemes from Vodafone, In strategic planning, it is important for managers to translate the overall strategy into goals and objectives. Goals are designed to inspire action and focus attention on specific desired outcomes, This report discusses three major issues of Vodafone including environmental evaluation, marketing strategies and recommendations. Referring to the SWOT analysis, there are several important insights, such as fierce competition, high penetration rate, low differentiation and innovation. After defining marketing objectives, marketing mix will be used for explaining marketing strategies of Vodafone.

1.2) HISTORY

HISTORY OF TELECOMMUNICATION: The history of telecommunication began with the use of smoke signals & drums in Africa the America & parts of Asia.

HISTORY OF VODAFONE: Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile communications company. Currently it has operations in 25 countries across 5 continents and 40 partner networks with over 260 million customers worldwide.

VODAFONE DURING 1980’S: Vodafone made the UK's first mobile call at a few minutes past midnight on 1 st January 1985. Within fifteen years, the network was the largest company in Europe and the largest of its kind anywhere in the world. By the turn of the century, almost every second UK citizen had a mobile

– and a third of them were connected to Vodafone. The Vodafone story is one of investment, innovation and award-winning customer service. Above all, it’s one of growth and the ability to deliver the tremendous benefits of mobile communications, not just in the UK but worldwide. 1982 • The Racal electronics group wins its bid for the private sector UK cellular license. It sets up the Racal telecoms division and names the new network ‘Vodafone’ to reflect the provision of voice and data services over mobile phones. Based in Newbury, the company has less than 50 employees, all in one building. 1985 • The Vodafone analogue network is the first cellular network to launch in the UK, and the first call is made from St Katherine’s dock in London to Newbury on 1 January 1985.

• Vodapage is launched, providing a paging network that covers 80% of the UK population.

1988 • Racal telecomm plc floats on the London and New York stock exchanges. 1989 • Paknet is formed as a joint venture between Racal telecom and cable & wireless.

VODAFONE DURING 1990’S: 1991 • Racal and Vodafone demerge. And the Vodafone group is listed as an independent company on the London and New York stock exchanges. • Vodafone and telecom Finland make the world’s first international roaming call. • Vodafone launches its digital (GSM) mobile phone service – the first in the UK. 1992 • Vodafone and telecom Finland sign the world's first international GSM roaming agreement.

1993 • Vodafone group international is formed to acquire licenses and supervise overseas interests.

• Vodafone opens its first high street store. 1994 • Vodata is the first network operator in the UK to launch data, fax and sms services over the digital network. • Vodafone joins the global star consortium to develop and launch a low earth orbiting satellite mobile phone service.

1996 • Vodafone is the first network operator in the UK to launch a pre-pay analogue package.

• Per second billing on the digital network is introduced, as well as options to buy ‘bundled’ minutes and make off-peak local calls to landlines. 1997 • Chris gent succeeds Sir Gerald Whent as chief executive officer of Vodafone group plc.

1999 • Vodafone air touch plc is created as a result of a successful merger between Vodafone group plc and air touch communications Inc. • On 5 January Vodafone connects the five million customers in the UK.

VODAFONE DURING 2000’S: 2000, The acquisition of Mannesmann Ag almost doubles the size of the Vodafone group making it the largest mobile telecommunications company and one of the top ten companies, by market capitalization, in the world.

2000 • The acquisition of Mannesmann Ag almost doubles the size of the Vodafone group making it the largest mobile telecommunications company and one of the top ten companies, by market capitalization, in the world. • Vizzavi is launched, a 50/50 joint venture between Vodafone air touch and vivendinet to deliver a multi-access branded internet portal for Europe.

• Vodafone acquires the largest available 3g license in the UK. In parallel with the development of 3g, Vodafone announces its intention to offer GPRS (general packet radio service) to UK corporate customers. • The global star satellite communications service is launched in the UK.

2001 • Vodafone introduces instant messaging to its networks. • Vodafone makes the world’s first 3g roaming call between Spain and Japan. 2002 • Vodafone trials its global mobile payment system in the UK Italy and Germany. • Vodafone launches the first commercial European GPRS roaming service. • The Vodafone group foundation is launched. The group and its subsidiaries plan to contribute £20 million to community programmes, guided by the group social investment policy.

• Vodafone launches Vodafone live! & mobile office, two new consumer and business propositions. • Arun Sarin is selected to succeed Sir Christopher Gent as Chief Executive of Vodafone group plc.

2003 • Vodafone live! attracts 1 million customers in its first six months. • Orange, telefonica moviles, t-mobile, and Vodafone form a new association to drive interoperable mobile payments.

2004 • Vodafone launches its first 3g service in Europe with the vodafone mobile connect 3g/gprs data card

2005 • Vodafone simply is launched, giving customers new, easy-to-use voice and text services.

• Vodafone introduces passport, a new voice roaming price plan. 2006 • The number of Vodafone live! Customers with 3g reach 10 million.

2007 Vodafone launches Secure Remote Access, providing data security for remote and flexible workers We announce plans to build a state-of-the-art 850-seat customer services centre in Stoke on Trent 2008 Vodafone UK is the first European network operator to offer Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 ultra-mobile device with built-in broadband connectivity The first ever touchscreen BlackBerry® smartphone – The BlackBerry Storm 9500 – is announced. It's built exclusively for Vodafone.

2009 A major expansion programme brings the number of Vodafone retail stores to 400 The Vodafone Foundation launches the UK World of Difference programme – giving 500 people the chance to get paid to work for charity Vodafone signs an exclusive agreement with Twitter, allowing customers to send updates and receive notifications by text Vodafone Sure Signal launched – a unique device to improve the mobile phone signal inside customers' homes

2010 Vodafone UK wins Best Network in the Mobile News and Mobile awards Vodafone UK ranges the Apple iPhone Vodafone One Net - the business solution that merges mobile and landline numbers – reaches one million customers

Vodafone VIP launched. The new reward scheme provides access for customers to a range of high-profile national events

2011 We launch JustTextGiving - providing hundreds of thousands of charities and fundraisers with a unique, personalised fundraising text code. Freebee Rewardz is launched – a loyalty rewards scheme for Pay as you go customers. Vodafone Guardian goes live – a free app that helps parents keep youngsters safe on their mobile.

2012 We acquire Cable and Wireless Worldwide plc – allowing them to provide both fixed and mobile services. We strengthen our network collaboration with Telefónica UK and pool basic network infrastructure to create one national grid. Vodafone Eurotraveller is launched – enabling customers to use their tariff abroad for just £3 a day. Vodafone Red is launched – bringing unlimited calls, texts and loads of data to our Pay monthly customers.

2013 We introduce our first 4G phone, the BlackBerry Z10 We bring unlimited minutes and texts to Pay as you go with the Red Freedom Freebee Network investment gets a boost to bring our fixed and mobile infrastructure together We launch our 4G network in London 2014 Prime Minister David Cameron visits our Newbury HQ to launch our £100-million retail expansion, including 1,400 new jobs and 150 new stores After just a year, our 4G network covers over 300 cities, towns and districts, as well as thousands of smaller communities across the UK, and the Eurotunnel Vodafone WorldTraveller launches, enabling Pay monthly customers to take their existing UK minutes, texts and data with them to eight destinations across the globe, for just £5 a day We kick-off the Rural Open Sure Signal programme, offering 100 rural communities across the UK the chance to get 3G coverage for the first time We successfully test Voice over LTE, a technology allowing voice calls to be carried across our 4G data network

HD (High Definition) Voice rolls out across the UK, providing crystal clear audio quality on calls We acquire 140 Phones4U stores and hire 900 of its employees after the retailer goes into administration

2015 We celebrate the 30th anniversary of the UK’s first mobile phone call made on our network. We launch Vodafone Broadband for UK customers. More than 22 million premises sign up for our highspeed broadband and home phone service, supported by our innovative Connect mobile app. Vodafone launches Wi Fi Calling, allowing customers in areas with limited network coverage, or who struggle to get an indoor signal, to make voice calls over Wi Fi. We sign the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant, as part of our commitment to proactively encourage the recruitment of ex-service personnel

2016 In partnership with the British Library, Vodafone commemorates the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, making some of the earliest and rarest editions of his plays available to all in digital format We become the first UK telecoms company to abolish line rental for broadband We launch a scheme to create up to 100 rural community hubs – based in pubs, village halls and community run shops. These will provide reliable 3G coverage to rural ‘not-spots’ We are named ‘UK’s #1 network for voice’ and ‘London’s #1 network’ by P3 Connect

2017 The Wortwell Bell Inn, in Harleston, South Norfolk is named the first rural community hub to benefit from 3G mobile coverage as part of our Community Indoor Sure Signal programme Vodafone creates 2,100 jobs in the UK, part of a long-term commitment to UK investment We launch TOBi, an artificial intelligence chatbot that acts as a virtual agent – offering customers a quicker web chat service Vodafone is the first UK operator to abolish roaming charges across 50 European destinations, with the launch of Vodafone Global Roaming-