Go mobile extending roaming options for card users

Despite having a globally renowned and locally well-established mobile network operator as it's only competitor, go mobile today boasts a 40 per cent share of the Maltese wireless telephony market and in just over 18 months its opening, go mobile’s client list has soared to some 85,000 active subscribers.

However, given the fact that Malta is quickly approaching its saturation point in terms of mobile telephony penetration rates, the battle for profits and market share is soon to turn away from overall subscriber numbers to the challenging fields of international coverage availability and services offered.

Speaking recently to the Malta Financial and Business Times Michael Balzan - Senior Executive Customer Care and Senior Executive International Roaming Division - explained that the mobile operator is working to improve roaming services for those using the ready to go pre paid card system.

The year and a half old mobile operator is also young in terms of its staff, who are an average age of 27, and employs close to 160 workers - all Maltese.

However, despite being young and innovative, entering the highly competitive market sector several years after the first operator does present its own inherent problems. As Mr Balzan explains, "We are operating at a big disadvantage, not only because we entered the scene second when many businesses and individuals had already started off with our competitors, but we are a second operator operating from a very small country. So it was difficult to get partners."

Go mobile is determined to offer its clientele first class services, which recently materialised in the company extending its roaming services.

Now apart from being able to send and receive SMSs and receive calls when abroad, go mobile pre-paid card plan users can now make calls when travelling in certain countries and when roaming with specific networks.

A recent systems upgrade carried out at go mobile has allowed such pre paid card users to benefit from pre-paid roaming services similar to those enjoyed roaming services enjoyed by contract clients.

Currently pre paid card users can travel abroad and benefit from an extensive range of services such as sending and receiving SMSs, receiving calls and checking their account balance. However, one logical stipulation is that the user must be roaming with a network that has a roaming agreement with go mobile, as situation available in over 55 countries and 84 networks spread around the world.

Now ready to go clients can also make calls from specific networks. Unlike the service offered by other local mobile operators, Ready to go clients who are roaming on specific networks can make calls to any country in the world and not just to Maltese numbers. Moreover, they do not need to make calls via a call-back facility, but can originate calls freely without any special prefixes as though they were contract subscribers.

Making calls and sending SMS seamlessly when abroad by means of a pre-paid card is another first for go mobile, commented go mobile Chief Executive Officer Juanito Camilleri recently.

"Offering full-blown roaming services to Ready to go users was made possible based on a technology known as Customised Applications for Mobile Networks using Enhanced Logic (CAMEL). go mobile is constantly providing its clients first-class services that ensure the best service, coverage and rates in Malta as well as abroad," he explains.