Providinginternet is a profitable business, but it involves constant investment in infrastructure, customer retention and building a position in the market. In an interview with Radosław Lewandowski, Head of Customer Service and Sales at MOICO, Bartosz Martyka examines what the operator’s business looks like from the inside.
BrandsIT: How is Moico doing in relation to regional competition?
Radosław Lewandowski: According to research we conducted last year, MOICO is the only regional brand that is present in the Top of Mind of the industry (this means that we are the most recognisable brand in the regional market). In addition, around 60% of people who know MOICO consider us to be the best or one of the best home utility providers in the market. This allows us to compete effectively even in a highly saturated market, i.e. in buildings where users have a choice between several operators. There are places where seven out of ten residents just use our network, despite the fact that we are not the cheapest provider. This proves that, when it comes to services such as home utilities, it is quality, not price, that counts above all.
How does the Operator win in comparison with the nationwide competition?
We are the kind of operator we would like to have ourselves.
We win against the nationwide players with the overall user experience. The basis is the quality of service – we make sure that our network is as stable as possible and allows for very fast connections. Plus a symmetrical connection, own IP address, Jambox TV. However, this is not the most important thing. We treat our customers as we would like to be treated ourselves. Firstly, we do not use loyalty (term) contracts; any MOICO user can resign from our services at any time. Secondly, existing customers are more important to us than new ones, which is why we do not use sales promotions; instead, we periodically increase the speed of existing users, without increasing the price or having to sign annexes to contracts. Thirdly, from time to time we offer customers additional services that can make their everyday life easier. One example is the BillTech system that MOICO customers have access to, which allows them to automate payments for all their household bills. In the near future, we are also launching free access for 3 months to CDA Premium for all MOICO network users. Our customers recognise and value this. A kind of community has formed in Wrocław around MOICO, which strongly supports us against national and foreign Internet providers.
What distinguishes Moico’s services?
All of the above. In a nutshell: no loyalty in contracts, external IP address, symmetrical link, cyclical increase in link speed (the first users used a 12 Mb/s link, now the minimum link speed is 100 Mb/s) and comprehensiveness of the whole service.
What does the infrastructure look like?
Our infrastructure is built on the principle of a MESH network, which makes it easy to protect the physical failure of fibre optic cables. In the event of a failure, the signal is routed via an alternative path. Therefore, our customers often do not experience network failures on their own. Connections are made using FTTH and GPON technology, depending on the installation location. All new connections have the capacity to deliver internet at 1Gbps (symterly) and remote service connection. With our own infrastructure, we are currently present in Wrocław (most districts and practically all new housing estates), Oława, as well as smaller towns around Wrocław (e.g. Bielany, Żerniki, Wilczyce, Dobrzykowice, etc.).
Is the operation of both TV and Internet a technological challenge?
We use technology that allows us to deliver both a quality internet connection and state-of-the-art Jambox TV without any problems. These are independent bands on which the TV and Internet signals are routed, which means that the use of the Internet connection does not affect the quality of TV reception.
What is the key element determining the success of the Operator?
Radosław Lewandowski: We are the kind of operator we would like to have ourselves: we do not take up customers’ time, we provide services that allow our users to use the possibilities of the network to the full, without thinking about the speed of the connection, we do not attack with promotions. All this adds up to a customer experience that has allowed us to build a very strong position in Wrocław and the surrounding area and has created a community of people around MOICO who share our philosophy.
