French operator Bouygues Telecom has revamped its Sensation range of postpaid plans, which are sold either on a SIM-only basis or with a smartphone. Customers can now choose between eight price points, including a plan launched in August that has an evolving voice and data allowance designed to meet the needs of teenagers.
Five of the price points come with 5G connectivity, offering inclusive mobile data going from 70 to 200 GB. This expands and enhances the previous 5G-compatible range, launched in mid-2020, consisting of three plans offering between 60 GB and 120 GB.
Alongside the increased data allowances, the other main change introduced by Bouygues is the addition of a second SIM for four of its five 5G plans. They offer mobile data of 80, 100, 150 and 200 GB, with monthly subscriptions ranging from €41.99 to €69.99 (US $49.25 to US $82.09) after the initial 12-month discount. With the second SIM, customers can use the data included in their package on another connected device, such as a tablet or a smartwatch.
Tarifica’s Take
Mobile operators use various tactics to differentiate plans within a suite of offerings. Differentiation by speed is increasingly common, particularly in the European market. But that is not to say that allowances and other plan features are not also a very prevalent means of differentiation. In Bouygues’ Sensation postpaid suite, price tracks with voice and data allowances, 5G connectivity and provision of a second SIM which itself comes with gradations of data affecting price. What makes this suite notable is the relatively large number of gradations—eight price levels, and then four levels within the second SIM offering.
This diversity caters to the varying desires and needs of customers, a salient feature of the mobile landscape in general. Operators are trying to slice the subscriber base more thinly than ever, as subscribers make it known that they value responsiveness and flexibility. Many operators offer customizability; and alternate approach answering some of the same needs is to offer a a greater number of pre-defined options. That is what Bouygues is doing here.
The plan for teenagers, which has an evolving voice and data allowance, is a particularly interesting addition to the suite. If takes the principle of flexibility and applies it to a demographic that by its very nature is constantly changing its needs. The second SIM feature also allows subscribers greater flexibility, in that they may use their data on a device other than the smartphone with which they originally signed up for service. On the whole, we see Bouygues’s Sensation as a strong set of offerings that is savvy with respect to where the market is now.