Amazon Prime
Cheap competition from the Internet giant: Amazon is said to be planning free mobile phone tariffs
Inexpensive and good mobile phone tariffs are in demand – and new providers are bringing new opportunities to the market
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A small mobile phone revolution is brewing in the USA: According to media reports, Amazon is planning to introduce free mobile phone tariffs for Prime members.
How “Bloomberg” reported, Amazon seems to be planning a major innovation for Prime customers in the United States. According to this, the company is in talks with several mobile phone providers in order to be able to offer a “very cheap or maybe free” mobile phone tariff together with a Prime subscription. Currently knocking Amazon is narrowing down opportunities at Verizon, T-Mobile US and Dish, according to people involved in the talks. Dish’s intentions to sell mobile through Amazon are also reported by the “Wall Street Journal“.
The goal is “the lowest possible wholesale price,” they say. Amazon then wants to offer mobile phone tariffs for around 10 US dollars a month or even free of charge, perhaps depending on the mood to buy and the loyalty of the customers.
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Amazon plans not final – first possible partner dropped out
According to the report, Amazon has been looking for a partner for around two months, and the provider AT&T has already jumped off. One person indicated it could be months before that happens. That is, if Amazon doesn’t bury the plans after all.
The talks are already having a noticeable effect on the stock markets. The courses of several papers have already fallen. The fear that Amazon could undermine the established providers is circulating. No wonder: “Bloomberg”, citing a study by “Consumer Intelligence Research Partners”, writes that 167 million Prime customers were active in March of this year – exactly as many as in the previous year. Prime customers are loyal – and many are.
Amazon would immediately be one of the largest suppliers
If you were to offer these people a mobile phone tariff, it would have a major effect on market shares. Because tariff prices of more than 50 US dollars per month can still be held on the market. If Amazon gets involved, the willingness to pay will drop drastically in a very short time – and Amazon would probably be one of the largest providers in one fell swoop.
Amazon said in a statement to Bloomberg, “We’re always looking to add more benefits for Prime members, but we have no plans to add wireless at this time.”