Mobile operator Megafon Tajikistan has launched a joint promotion with Samsung Electronics. Customers who purchase the Samsung Galaxy ? and Galaxy J smartphones can activate packages containing free data from the operator. The Galaxy 3 package is available when purchasing the A3 and J3 smartphones and includes a 3 GB monthly mobile internet bundle. The Galaxy 5 package with the A5 and J5 smartphones contains a 5 GB monthly traffic bundle. The Galaxy 7 package is available with the A7 and J7 smartphones and includes a 7 GB monthly data bundle.

Tarifica’s Take

Among the multitude of free-data promotions being crafted by operators, ones that are tied to smartphone purchases make particular sense. By doing this deal with Samsung, Megafon stands to benefit in two ways.

First, by incentivizing customers to buy these Galaxy phones, which are mid- to upper-range devices, Megafon will of course derive some revenue directly from those purchases. Second and more important, in a developing economy where smartphones and especially higher-end smartphones are not ubiquitous, encouraging uptake of such devices is a major way for operators to encourage customers to consume more data in the future.

Tying the free-data packages to phone purchases is a savvy move. Data use breeds more data use, because of habit formation, and having a device that itself encourages data use only amplifies the effect. When the promotion period ends and the customer is left to pay for all of his or her data—and has the desire and the means to use it to the fullest—the operator will have a long-term revenue source securely in place.