Idea's Sirji is back on the tele screen, this time in a new avtaar of an agonized tree urging subscribers to switch to mobile applications that can substitute use of paper. The telecom major plans to promote a slew of value added services like mobile newspaper, receive e-bills on mobile, mpayments and transactions, issue e-tickets and boarding passes; thereby saving tonnes of paper each day.
The operators have long been talking of business sense in adopting green measures. It is one industry that pays hefty energy bills. With environmental concerns taking a central stage in the recent times, the service provider's idea might click this time, unlike its past few campaigns that definitely got people talking, but definitely not walking and buying the connections. This initiative to educate subscribers on the use of mobile applications that can help subscribers cut down their carbon footprint is an encouraging step towards the long journey.
Industry experts say VAS usage may not contribute in a big way, but definitely it can make a significant impact in the long run. A whole variety of value added services are on the offer that help you mind your carbon footprints. Their carbon emission calculators, alarms for mobile and what not, but services like mobile newspaper and e-tickets on mobile definitely make a direct contribution.
It is an extension of Idea's endeavor to create awareness among people on various issues like health, education and this time it is the environment. Not that the operator advocates a paperless society, the idea is only to come up with a creative thought that has potential to become a habit in the future. “We are just trying to show what are the possibilities, though right now Internet penetration is a big hurdle,” says Pradeep Srivastava, chief marketing officer, Idea.
“Idea offers some mobile magazines too, but out of its 5 crore subscribers only 50-60 lakh subscribers, who have GPRS access, can be targeted. Of these, not all subscribers will be subscribing to the service. It is needless to say that a lot of data is moving in to mobile and it is a matter of time that these possibilities might turn into reality,” he says.
Most of the Indian telecom service providers have on and off been making some efforts to encourage subscribers to adopt green practices. In December 2009, Vodafone launched an offer on Diwali where a subscriber opting to get e-bills would stand a chance of getting his house painted for free. In India their prepaid and postpaid ratio is skewed. Though a majority of the subscribers are postpaid, the number is still significant. Thus there is a huge amount of the saving that can be done by receiving bills online rather getting prints of bills.
However, the picture is much larger and there's a lot more that service providers can do to save the environment. Plugging the fumes from the diesel run sites is one undisputed option. There is awareness building around hybrid and alternative energy sources for the cell sites. The government has even decided to provide help from the USO fund to help operators explore the goodness renewable energy.
Heena Jhingan
heenaj@cybermedia.co.in
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