Wind adds 15,000 subscribers since March

Wind Mobile added more than 15,000 subscribers since the end of March and now has more than 430,000 customers, Nisha Amin, a spokeswoman for the company, said. Wind is privately owned by Globalive Wireless Management Corp. The company's multinational parent company VimpelCom Ltd. on Tuesday released a 2012 first quarter earnings report that said Wind had 415,364 subscribers as of March 31. That total represented an increase of approximately 12,000 subscribers over the 403,000 customers the company reported at the end of December, and a 53 per cent increase over the 271,659 subscribers it had as of March 31, 2011. Wind continues to add customers with competitive pricing as it competes with other new entrants in major markets as well as national incumbents BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., and Telus Corp. Globalive is expected to grow its network strength through participation in next year's auction of valued 700 MHz spectrum. The company will need to spend $300 million to $500 million in the auction to secure enough spectrum licences to offer nationwide coverage and become a fourth national carrier, UBS said in a research note last month. “During 1Q 2012, WIND Mobile continued its ‘Value Plus’ strategy execution adding primarily postpaid subscribers while carefully managing pre-paid economics for both voice and mobile broadband customers, VimpelCom said in a release. “The company also continued expanding its network and improving its quality in existing networks,” the release said. In February, Wind told The Wire Report that the company had surpassed 425,000 subscribers. On Tuesday, Amin said that number was an error and at the time the company had 415,000 customers. “I can release that we’re well over 430 000 customers and that over 40% are postpaid customers,” she wrote in an emailed statement, adding that those numbers were updated to Tuesday. Amin said the subscriber gains are “due to a number of key strategic factors,” including “simple/transparent monthly plan options,” an expanded range of handsets available, increased network coverage and sales distribution, and “ruly unlimited plans on no term contracts.” She said the company has reduced its rate of churn, or customers going elsewhere, which has allowed for higher net subscriber growth. “The changes we made last year to focus on higher value postpaid segments started paying off,” Amin said. “We are seeing less customers leaving WIND.” In the release, VimpelCom said Wind increased its average revenue per subscriber by 2.2 per cent from a year earlier. Average monthly revenues per subscriber climbed to $27.30 at the end of March 2012, compared to $26.70 a year earlier. news@thewirereport.ca

Wind adds 15,000 subscribers since March

News | 05/15/2012 10:05 pm EDT

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