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President Docomo II will announce ahamo
On December 3, NTT Docomo announced a new “ahamo” plan with 20GB / month for 2,980 yen (excluding tax) that can also use 5G.
Docomo, new 20GB “ahamo” rate plan for 2,980 yen per month
A very advantageous rate system service combining a low price of “2,980 yen” that Rakuten Mobile is aware of, a 20GB plan provided by other carriers, and a flat rate call that is “free for up to 5 minutes”. has converted.
Needless to say, the background to its emergence was the “mobile phone tariff reduction theory”, which had grown stronger since the establishment of the Kan Cabinet. This time, let’s think about the pros and cons of this service plan.
Simple and low-priced ahamo threatens other businesses
ahamo is a shocking plan. Cheap and profitable. Furthermore, in terms of communication quality and coverage area, “there is no difference in communication quality from other plans (NTT Docomo)” (NTT Docomo, president Motoyuki Ii).
In terms of price, it is also a threat to KDDI and Softbank, but this is exactly a tough enemy for MVNO (virtual mobile communications operator) that leases a line to Docomo and Rakuten Mobile, which is expanding the area. They will be.
Apart from the competition, ahamo is very attractive to consumers. The product was originally planned for 20-year-old digital natives, but the inexpensive service is attractive to all generations. Since there is no additional cost for roaming abroad, I wonder if I should change the subline to ahamo.
However, this shocking price is born under certain conditions. That’s “simplicity” and “online only”.
Cellular General Rate Plans are sold as a bundle with many discounts, such as “Family Discount”, “Long Term Contract Discount” and “Package Discount with Optical Line”. As a result, while “many people make contracts cheaper than the prices listed in the catalog,” there is the side effect that “the terms are complicated and difficult to understand.”
From the beginning, ahamo has a single rate system and there is no discount, including the family discount. Although it is an NTT Docomo rate plan, it cannot be covered by other NTT Docomo lines and family discounts.
For contracts, only basic online, all support is online. There is no support at NTT Docomo stores in town.
It is better if there is no problem, even if it is “completed online” and there is no need for family discounts. That is the characteristic of ahamo.
The difficulty of ahamo is the difference with the “Docomo plan so far”
In other words, ahamo is certainly cheap and the plan is simple, but there are also “limitations”. It can be said that it is a good plan if you understand it correctly.
The problem is that it is offered as “NTT Docomo rate plan” instead of “other brand”.
There is no particular problem for those who can understand the difference and those who will subscribe to mobile phones, but there are also downsides for those who have already subscribed to NTT Docomo as a family for a long time and are using the discounts and support firmly. . is there.
Who will tell you how?
In a question and answer session with the reporter, NTT Docomo president Ii replied: “It’s a basic remote, but I can’t just turn it down (even if an ahamo customer comes to the store).” If it is understood that “it is simply cheap and profitable”, customers asking for explanations and contract changes will meet in “shop windows” that should not be supported. If ahamo, who should have gotten a low price by not overcharging the NTT Docomo dealer, puts a burden on the dealer, the dealer can work for free.
Other companies have developed plans as “sub-brands”. Because the brand is different, there is a premise that the characteristics of the service can be significantly different.
This time, in response to KDDI / Softbank’s response, Minister of General Affairs Takeda showed an attitude that “discounts on sub-brands are not satisfactory”, so NTT Docomo proposed it as a low-price plan. for the main “NTT Docomo brand”. There is a part that seems. Even if it was a sub-brand, it was easy to understand because it was “different”, but there are parts that became more difficult to understand because it became the main brand.
It is important to improve the “difficulty in choosing”
How to choose a mobile phone rate plan in the first place?
It is often said that generations who have a close affinity for digital devices, generations in the prime of work have high-capacity plans, and children and the elderly have low-cost, low-capacity plans.
However, for older people, it’s actually better to let them use it freely with a high-capacity plan rather than forcing them to “save traffic,” which is often complicated with a low-price plan. That is an advantage in the sense that it enriches our lives.
If you belong to a generation familiar with digital technology, you may be able to save traffic on your mobile phone line by using it at home, at work or at school. Especially in the telecommuting-centric period like now, if you have a high-speed line at home, your mobile phone traffic can be small.
You may want to take full advantage of the Family Discount or Optical Line Set for a discount, but you may also want to keep the terms simple.
After all, needs vary depending on the person and the situation.
Some of the stocks like MVNO and sub-brands are reducing the price by “judging to some extent for themselves”.
So is it really good the way it is? It is important to create conditions that make it easier for many people to select a rate plan that suits their needs, rather than simply “being cheaper.” The current message from the government focuses on “lowering prices” and not on what really needs to be improved.
“Simple plan with sub-brand” is important, and “unlimited use with main brand” is also necessary. There is a need to develop an “understanding” that allows anyone to make such decisions adequately and for a mechanism to help them make decisions.
Originally, the store should not only be a sales base that leads to high-cost plans, but also a place that helps people make decisions and eliminates user anxiety. This is where the distortions of the current mobile phone business are concentrated. It is essential to have a mechanism in which “support” itself is the source of income, not “hiring.”
On November 19, NTT Docomo announced that it would charge for “support other than docomo-related services” at the docomo store. Some criticized that “you pay for what you can easily do”, but that is not correct. This is because creating a profitable system with the right support will be the first step away from the “make a contract” system.
Paid support for migration and configuration of Docomo, LINE and Suica. 1 app 1,650 yen
What is the position of ahamo, which is originally for online use, between these measurements? Some clear measures are needed.
The Ministry of the Interior and Communications policy related to mobile phones, commonly known as an “action plan”, includes an element that “helps users understand”. How will politics and mobile phone operators work together to expand this area? That is important for solving various problems.
NTT Docomo will announce renewals for other plans in December. At that time, you need to pay attention not only to the price, but also to the support and explanation of the price.
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