Mobilink, Warid Telecom, Zong, and Ufone, well-known mobile phone service providers in Pakistan, are now offering
Golden, Platinum and Diamond Phone Numbers. What are they? What do they do for the cell phone service customers and for the Pakistan mobile phone service providers? Who can buy them? Where can they make those numbers ring? First, they are not
virtual phone numbers and cannot be used over
direct inward dialing on SIP services.
They are phone numbers that are easy to remember such as 0300 2 777777, such as when noted on billboards as we drive down the highway. Potential and current customers are more likely to call the numbers because of the repetition of digits and patterns of digits that are memorable. This means, the mobile phone service provider is very likely to keep the customer who owns the special phone number, unless porting is easy in Pakistan from one provider to another. It also means the receiver of the call, whether that receiver is an organization or individual, is very likely to get more phone calls from those who are important to them ... friends, customers, vendors, and such. Only those in Pakistan can buy the phone numbers. The phone numbers will ring only to the cell phone that the service provider is providing service on ... Mobilink, Warid Telecom, Zong, Ufone, and others.
Will people outside of Pakistan call these special phone numbers to reach the owner? Very unlikely! What might be a better way to get people outside of Pakistan to call businesses and individuals in Pakistan?
Virtual phone numbers that are local to the caller!
What are the arguments against Pakistan (or any country) mobile phone service providers making available for sale international phone numbers to their customers? One, the customers may use them for fraud. Everything on Earth can be used for fraud. Does that mean we should stop using everything? Two, this may make Pakistan mobile phone service providers lose revenue. What? Show me how.
When the Pakistan mobile phone service providers start offering USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and other international phone number to their customers, new revenue is generated increasing ARPU and customer retention.
When cell phone service customers in Pakistan buy international phone numbers from their provider, they will have phone numbers that are local to the people who are important to them. Who are important people to you and me that are in other countries? They could be current or potential family, friends, customers, vendors, organizations and so on.
Example: would a global warming research scientist B at NASA GISS be more likely to call another research scientist A at the Institute of Environmental Studies Past Events - University of Karachi on Professor A's Karachi special phone number or her Huntsville, Alabama phone number? Professor B knows that Professor A works the University of Karachi, but wouldn't he be more likely to call the USA phone number?
As insignificant as the digits in a phone number may seem, the DID (direct inward dialing ... phone number)is very powerful. Mobile phone service operators are not taking advantage of what people and organizations really need to connect, grow and succeed ... making available international phone numbers. No one loses. Everyone gains the potential to discover new revenue, opportunities and success.
We can apply this discussion to any country's mobile phone service providers? Want your cell phone company to offer you international phone numbers? Ask yours to sign up at
http://www.didx.net and find out more.
... Follow me on
Twitter, TMC at
http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/, my iTunes podcasts on VoIP and other technologies, or at global events face to face to develop business and innovation.
E911 Watch columnist Nick Maier in the TMC Internet Telephony magazine ends his March 2012 article with, "In the not-too-distant future, cloud-based E911 solutions will be able to accept not only emergency voice calls, but emergency video and emergency text messages. Location objects sent along with the video or text will make it possible to automatically route the information to the right PSAP so help can be dispatched."
