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 about the 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 Cellular.
"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 prepaid, the number of postpaid customers is still significant.
Thus, there is a huge amount of saving that can be done by receiving bills
online rather than 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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