It doesn't take an expert to realize that voice calling is declining. The convenience offered by instant messengers like WhatsApp has changed the way we communicate and pay for voice, internet and messaging services. Operators try to win over and maintain their respective demanding customer bases by "unlimited" offering some of the most widely used services. But are these packages beneficial or are they merely to camouflage the lack of originality and innovation among operators? Check out the full article below.
Unlimited messaging, free calling and quality internet access, and preferably all for one price. This is the proposal of thousands of consumers who are increasingly demanding with the services offered by Brazilian operators. The arrival of new technologies has been a problem for the most traditional telecommunication companies. WhatsApp, for example, opened up a range of opportunities that would cost a lot if they were charged separately by operators, such as when each SMS cost $ 0.60.
Among the operators, Vivo is the most resistant, and also the most "traditionalist". Recently, Telefónica Brazil President Amos Genish stated that WhatsApp works as a clandestine operator in Brazil, as the application has no fiscal, legal and regulatory rules, reducing the possibility of message monitoring, which would make room for use in illegal activities.
WhatsApp calling function is not a rule among unlimited packages. / ANDROIDPIT
Fleeing a bit of this traditionalist context, TIM and Claro are always offering plans with "unlimited WhatsApp". However, none of these plans include voice calls, a feature recently added to the application. According to a survey by Ericsson, WhatsApp accounts for 13% of mobile data traffic. He is part of a select group responsible for sending and receiving almost 80% of everything consumed on the Brazilian mobile internet. Of course, operators would not be willing to lose or share this slice of voice calls, either by reducing call costs or by adding this function to their "unlimited WhatsApp" packages. See the comparison between TIM's "Turbo WhatsApp" and Claro's "Turbocharged Internet":
| TIM- WhatsApp Turbo | Claro-Turbined Internet |
| $ 12 / ms | $ 099 / day |
| 50 / day | 15 / day |
| included in | included in |
| included in | included in |
| not included | not included |
| not included | not included |
As noted above, no operator is willing to offer voice calls on WhatsApp. However, just the release of messages and the exchange of files between contacts are already reasons for differences between them. Last month, as we reported here on AndroidPIT, Claro reported TIM for misleading advertising in its plan that offers unlimited WhatsApp. Vivo, in turn, declared through its president in Brazil, that the operator will never partner with WhatsApp, going against its competitors.
The consumer wins to some extent, as the calling function in WhatsApps is a new feature and not very widespread. As operators push these messaging plans and divert attention from users with service disputes, the progress in coverage and quality of mobile networks in the country is slowing down, which makes the use of VoIP services unfeasible. You don't have a quality network, so you won't use WhatsApp voice calls. And it is the operators who get the time out of it, since these "unlimited" packages serve to camouflage their respective absences with regard to innovation.
And what's your opinion on these packages that WhatsApp offer will?
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