T-Mobile benchmark for data tariffs, sub-brand Ben more expensive

Commentary Wireless Netherlands 12 AUG 2015
T-Mobile benchmark for data tariffs, sub-brand Ben more expensive

 

Voice and SMS are increasingly commodities, prompting operators to shift their focus to mobile data and value-added services. By looking at Sim-only plans, with separate prices for unlimited calls and SMS, we can isolate and compare the costs of data.

Such prices are available for Telfort (KPN), Simyo (KPN), Youfone (MVNO on KPN), T-Mobile, Ben (T-Mobile), Simpel (MVNO on T-Mobile) and Tele2. We have excluded OpenMobile as it focuses on family plans, while the other operators have standard plans. This is a comparison of MAFs (monthly access fees), not the TCO (total cost of ownership). We leave out the costs of unlimited calls/SMS, which vary considerably, from EUR 19 per month at T-Mobile (although this includes some extras, like 120 minutes of roaming in the EU) to EUR 10 at Tele2, Telfort and Youfone. Connection costs (EUR 10-15) are also excluded. The figures otherwise assume a 24-month contract (apart from Simyo, which has a maximum 12 months).

The data show the following highlights:

  • The price per GB falls the bigger the plan. However, this is not true for all the providers - Youfone, Simpel and Ben don't always follow this pattern.
  • At Ben, the reason is because it charges extra for 4G speeds. 4G is included with packages of 2 GB or more per month.
  • T-Mobile has the lowest price, in part because it offers the biggest package, at 12 GB. This comes out at a cost of EUR 1.71 per GB.
  • On the high end, Ben appears expensive compared to the T-Mobile brand. Ben charges EUR 19 for 3 GB (EUR 6.33 per GB), while T-Mobile only charges EUR 10.50 for the same amount (EUR 3.50 per GB).
  • Looking at the incremental value of a GB, T-Mobile is again the cheapest. Upgrading from 6 to 12 GB per month (so 6 GB extra) costs only EUR 6 more. That's a cost of EUR 1 per GB.

Notably the price per GB does not always fall as the amount of data purchased increases. This is especially true at Ben. As data usage grows, the providers will continue to introduce bigger plans. T-Mobile acts in this market segment as the benchmark.

These figures are based on the semi-annual Dutch Mobile Monitor 2015 Q1 report from Telecompaper. Building on Telecompaper's many research publications, this report gives a complete overview of the Dutch mobile market. The above price comparison is also part of the report.

Categories:

Mobile

Companies:

KPN,  Telfort,  BEN,  Simyo,  Youfone,  Tele2 Netherlands,  T-Mobile Netherlands,  OpenMobile

Countries:

Netherlands

Tags:

Data services, Pricing, Market research

Related Articles

GLOBAL 16 NOV 2015

Tele2 NL, KPN, T-Mobile US show value of a GB falling quickly

Tele2 Netherlands has announced new mobile plans, designed especially for use on its own LTE network. KPN announced almost at the same time an offer for 100,000 rural households to use LTE as a replacement for the fixed line. And T-Mobile US unveiled its Un-carrier X offer 'Binge On', offering unlimited data for video streaming. These are just a few examples of the strong decline in the value of mobile data, underlining the need for continued innovation and cost controls in the mobile market. 

NETHERLANDS 11 NOV 2015

Tele2 Netherlands boosts data plans with 4G network launch

Tele2 Netherlands has launched its new mobile plans over its own 4G network. The operator said the new offer will bring "great coverage and great speed at the lowest price". Two years since it started the roll-out, the LTE network now covers 92 percent of the Dutch population, offering speeds up to 225 Mbps. Tele2, which previously worked as a MVNO on the Dutch market, said it aims to be the world's first '4G only' mobile operator, providing both data and from next year voice over 4G, without the need for 2

NETHERLANDS 30 JUL 2015

T-Mobile benchmark voor datatarieven, sub-brand Ben soms duurder

Voice en SMS worden steeds meer commodities, waardoor de aandacht van de operators verschuift naar mobiele data en aanvullende diensten. Door SIM-only abonnementen te bestuderen, met een apart tarief voor onbeperkt bellen en SMS-sen, kunnen we de datakosten isoleren en vergelijken.

NETHERLANDS 23 JUL 2015

Tele2 NL to benchmark pricing against T-Mobile, Vodafone

Tele2 Netherlands did not make a good impression with its second-quarter results. Fixed telephony has contracted so much it can no longer be considered a cash cow, the number of fixed broadband customers has fallen to the level of Q3 2008, and mobile net additions totaled just 7,000. It's clear the company's focus is completely on rolling out its LTE network. On the positive side, the roll-out is on track to reach national coverage in Q1 2016 and Tele2 has also reached a new deal with KPN on access to its V

NETHERLANDS 25 MEI 2015

T-Mobile still offers lowest price per GB

The strategy of any telecom operator can be summed up in the quest for increasing ARPU. The same is true for fixed and mobile operators. The big taboo is 'commoditisation' of the product, which could 'spoil' the market. Only a handful of operators worldwide have chosen a strategy based on commoditisation, such as HKBN in Hong Kong (known for the slogan 'we are out to commoditise bandwidth') or Sonic.net in California. Most of the rest of the world steers clear of this, in order to maintain their pricing pow

NETHERLANDS 13 APR 2015

Mobile data in the Netherlands: EUR 2.05 lowest price per GB

Ahead of the upcoming publication of Telecompaper's next EU Benchmark report comparing mobile tariffs in 16 countries, we take a look at the costs of data traffic on Dutch mobile plans. The semi-annual EU Benchmark is based on the 'total cost of ownership' (TCO). In addition to the headline cost of a mobile subscription (MAF: monthly access fee), we include the costs of a handset as well as any promotions and extra costs such as activation fees. In the following analysis of Dutch Sim-only plans, we narrow t

Just In

19 DEC 16:42

SLT-Mobitel launches 5G network in Sri Lanka

19 DEC 16:19

Dialog Axiata launches 5G network, connects 1.5 million subscribers

19 DEC 15:56

UK govt to ban AI-enabled nudification apps to protect women, girls

19 DEC 15:42

3 UK launches last-minute Christmas sale

Commentary

13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

11:11

KPN's mixed performance in Q3 raises questions for strategy day

15:26

Stock markets breaking records but what happened to Odido's IPO plans?

Background

01:04

The week in telecom: Wi-Fi bolt-ons take off to boost broadband growth, video market works on consolidation

01:39

The week in telecom: Netflix wins bidding for Warner Bros, Apple poaches new execs, Samsung debuts trifold

13:51

Proximus vs. Telenet: Proximus performs better in Q3 while Telenet uses up cash

14:16

Proximus Domestic still struggling with low margins

Complete profile

Before downloading the whitepaper, we would like to ask you to complete your profile with company and position. After confirming you will receive the white paper.