Is betraying your operator still worth it? According to the SosTariffe.it study, the market is moving towards the uniformity of the promotions envisaged for the "all-inclusive" packages dedicated to new and old customers. Convenience for those carrying out portability focuses on the cost to activate the tariffs, 22,6% lower than activations for existing customers, while those who stay with their provider and activate a new tariff have time constraints on the subscription period of the offer that are 42% shorter.
The mobile phone market is constantly evolving: the promotions that providers reserve for customers, old and new, can be very different and staying informed about new opportunities is the main advice for those who want to activate the most suitable offer for their needs. Is it still worth changing operator? SosTariffe.it answers this question thanks to the latest observatory that analyzed the market for all-inclusive packages subscribed for mobile phone users.
SosTariffe.it examined the main "all inclusive" packages (i.e. offers that offer calls, SMS and data traffic included with a single fee), calculating the average amounts (for old and new customers) of some parameters necessary to subscribe the rates: periodic cost, renewal period, activation cost, time constraint and penalty for early withdrawal. In addition to this, the average number of calls, SMS and data traffic included in the packages were calculated.
The results of the survey are shown in the table below.
Costs for new and old customers: the differences
As regards the monthly cost incurred in the 1st year of activation (including all mandatory charges for activating the tariff) there are no major differences between new and old customers. For the first type of customer, the average monthly cost is 13,84 euro, while for existing customers the cost is 14,67 €.
The major difference between the two groups of customers concerns the activation cost, on the time constraint and on deactivation cost provided for those who withdraw early.
Customers who activate a new offer with the same provider will incur a average activation cost of about 12 euros, against i almost 3 euros for those who decide to change operator. On the other hand, the time constraint that must be respected to activate the offer is higher for those who carry out the portability: 8 renewals for existing customers against i 19 expected on average for new ones.
Also with regard to the early termination fee the situation is better for users who remain with the same operator: on average, they are asked to change the offer before the time limit expires 12 euros to existing customers against i 18 euros of users in portability.
Calls, SMS and data traffic included: the differences between old and new customers
The study did not register any particular differences with regard to the content of the subscribed packets: as regards data traffic, both old and new customers can obtain an average of just over Giga 5 to connect on the go. Even the number of free calls is the same: approx 1200 minutes included on average. Slightly different is the number of Free text messages: 647 for existing customers against i 599 for those who carry out the portability.
The war on portability, therefore, seems to no longer be based on strong discounts offered for those who "betray" their operator, as was the case a few years ago. As revealed by a previous survey by SosTariffe.it, the invitation to portability focused on other types of tariffs, considered "special", but which can only be activated on direct contact with the providers and therefore no longer by direct choice of the buyer.
The best rates for existing customers: the new SosTariffe.it comparator:
In any case, the study suggests making a comparison between the best rates to identify the one most in line with your needs: especially for those looking for information on the costs of the offers to stay with their provider, SosTariffe.it has recently introduced a new modification to its comparator dedicated to mobile telephony. In fact, it has recently been possible to select your operator and identify the best offers so as not to change providers.
To do this, simply click the following link and select the current provider in the list on the left:
https://www.sostariffe.it/tariffe-cellulari/#500min-100sms-2gb-stesso-operatore/order-fy/
