Consumer behaviour towards mobile phone services in Kovilpatti, Thoothukudi district (India) - A case study

In fewer than twenty years, mobile phones have gone from being rare and expensive pieces of equipment used by businesses to a pervasive low-cost personal item. In the era of information explosion, people are to be provided with quick and timely access to information. Indian Telecom industry is one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world. In earlier day the mobile phone being viewed as an expensive luxury only affordable to the power and rich .Today, not only in all urban areas, also in smaller towns and remote rural farms, the mobile phone has become a common, affordable, and convenient communication device. Reduction in the tariff has made affordable to all and increased its uses significantly. In telecom industry, service providers are the main drivers; whereas equipment manufacturers are witnessing growth. In this light, the present study deals with consumer preferences and their satisfaction level towards the mobile phone service providers available in Kovilpatti, Thoothukudi District, India. The present study conducted on 100 mobile phone users of various mobile phone service providers such as Vodafone, Airtel, BSNL, Reliance, Aircel, Tata Indicom and few other players. The results derived from the study indicate that the factor that induces the consumers to buy a particular mobile phone operator is call tariffs followed by network coverage and brand image.