Ncell’s new validity has me worried for myself and company

Tl;DR

• New Ncell validity is being criticized on all fronts
• The company reasons that it’s required to keep its business running
• But there’s fear of network switch due to less validity period

The newly implemented Ncell validity scheme starts at the base of 7 days for recharge of Rs 50 – 99.99. This new validity structure has drawn criticism from users and industry experts though the company maintains that it’s needed to mitigate the falling revenues at the company. But for normal users who recharge the mobile balance less, this ends up keeping them worried about recharging more often. It’s worried me for my own use of Ncell services and likely, the company should bother with what might transpire. Here are my two pennies on this. But let’s begin with the real deal.

Check out: How to Transfer Balance in Ntc and Ncell?

The new Ncell validity that’s grabbing the headlines

Let’s start with the main part of this article – the latest Ncell validity. As I mentioned above, the private telco provides only 7 days of validity upon recharge of Rs 50 – Rs 99.99. And if you inject Rs 100 – 199.99, you get 14 days of active Ncell service. What are the odds that we use up all our main balance in the age of resources packed in a bundle? Let’s thank Ncell for its revolutionary Sadhain ON packs which bundle voice, data, and SMS in packages.

Resource packs make services more straightforward, convenient, and budget-friendly too. But once we spend a chunk of balance on buying a pack, we want to enjoy it instead of worrying to recharge the SIM card to maintain the validity.

The problem is more pronounced for users who recharge less and for lower amounts – below Rs 200 let’s say.

That’s because someone who is likely to use big on voice, data, or packs also recharges a higher amount. A recharge of Rs 200 – 299.99 gives you 28 days of validity, the one that comes for big Ncell data/voice or Sadhain ON packs. If you are someone who spends even more on telecom services, you may be unburdened by the new validity. Recharging with Rs 1000 and above brings 90 days of validity.

Here’s how Ncell is providing validity upon recharges of different amounts.

Find details: Ncell lets you browse Facebook and Internet for free

Worry for me and other “regular” users

I can’t overemphasize that regular users are affected the most by the newly implemented Ncell validity. For e.g., I mostly stay online with a home WiFi connection so that covers me for messages, articles, online presence, and so forth. That also means I rely less on cellular connection for online stuff. Let’s say, it’s my daily driver when I step out.

So, I am not going to spend over Rs 5000 every fortnight to get validity. But as I mostly tend to recharge my SIM with Rs 50, the new scheme doesn’t help me. I feel like after recharging, I get another obligation to recharge just so that I can continue receiving incoming calls. So, this has got me worried and I am reluctantly thinking that I might switch.

Fair share to Ncell though!

While criticizing Ncell for its new validity decision, the company does have a sound justification. We don’t use voice enough these days. It’s the age of OTT, and we use social media apps and instant messaging platforms to talk and exchange messages.

Worse for the company, some also use Ncell SIM cards as a secondary option to use just in case. The result is reflected in the telco’s businesses. Ncell, like Nepal Telecom (NTC), hasn’t earned BIG in recent years.

Instead, the private telco has been in a negative financial running for the past few fiscal years FY. Mostly, that has to do with the company having to provide cheaper data packs and users’ access to OTT platforms for voice. So, what measures Ncell possibly could have?

It’s also a fact that telcos in SAARC have made superb gains in recent years. So, there might be things that Ncell could do to reverse the financial strains, but that’s for another debate.

I personally appreciate Ncell for bringing us the Sadhain ON pack which comes with revolutionary features such as no balance shock, carry over, etc. Also, I want to acknowledge that the telco has had to make this bold step to ensure users continue to recharge and use its services instead of just enjoying the longer validity of services. Fair share to the company that the only way it can survive and sustain is to get customers to spend money on its services.

Check out How to buy a mobile data pack in Ncell and Ntc?

My worry for the telco

While the customers are “angry” with Ncell for its changes in the validity scheme, I worry for the worse. Due to this very reason, I am afraid that customers would switch networks. So, there’s a risk of the move being counterproductive for the private telco which has just been awarded an installment facility to pay Rs 20 billion for license renewal.

At this point, the company can’t risk irking customers which might compel them to move to another company for higher validity. I see that there’s credible justification for the whole new Ncell validity saga, however, customers feel that they have been subjected to frequent recharges for services which is also true from a user’s point of view.

And as a customer, I believe that Ncell’s planned subscription-based service model could be better suited to us than what the current validity scheme does.

Any chance that Ncell rescind its toned-down validity?

Yes, I do believe that Ncell could actually reverse its current validity model later on. That’s because it hurts most of the users who recharge their phones less and such users are very high in numbers. I fear that not doing so could risk a network switch among the current Ncell users and benefit the competitor.

For sure, Ncell wouldn’t want its “risky” mitigating measure to become counterproductive in its own reception among the customers. However, only time will tell us if that happens. But worse for most of regular users, if Ntc also follows suit, we are doomed (sic).

Don’t miss: How to take loan in Ntc, Ncell?

How do you feel about Ncell’s new validity structure and has it affected you dearly already? Let’s share it with each other in the comments below.