‘PLEASE bear with us’ is the message from new mobile phone service provider, Wave Telecom. Managing director Tim Ringsdore admitted yesterday that coverage was non-existent in some areas, such as St Peter’s and the west coast.
The company, which launched its service on 1 July, is waiting for final Cable & Wireless and Environment Department permission to use two existing base stations for its network.
‘The message is that network development never stops, even with a mature one,’ he said.
‘We are new to the market but have done our homework and know where the problems are. We are here for the long term; everything we do is for long-term customer satisfaction.’
He believed that the company had the backing of consumers, who had waited a long time for competition in the mobile phone market.
Geographical gaps in the coverage were being filled as they were identified with Wave hoping to utilise masts at Fort George and St Peter’s next month.
The companies are using different frequencies, but because C&W’s is stronger, Wave needs more base stations. The eventual plan is for 21, it has 15 at the moment.
If all goes according to plan, Wave’s mobile customers should notice a dramatic reduction in blind spots.
It has been made aware of the shortcomings in its service through customer feedback and a regular audit of its network by a specialist independent company.
‘We are trying as much as possible to tell customers through our shops and dealers what is going on and are taking their feedback on board,’ said Mr Ringsdore.
In the next couple of weeks the company expects to reach the 1,000-customer mark, but said it had had only one letter of complaint.
It believed that the honest approach it had adopted was working.
‘Most people have been very supportive,’ said Mr Ringsdore. ‘Most people who have bought a Sim card are waiting until the service is up and running properly to use it.’
Consumers who expected a better reception than has been provided were being given incentives to stay with Wave, such as free air time or text messages.
The Jersey Telecom-owned company had kept in close contact with dealers so they could let customers know where the problems were and what was being done to resolve them.
‘We are telling customers that, depending on where they live and work, to wait and get back to us.’
He accepted that the company had a lot of work to do before it satisfied customer expectation.
The ‘tweaking and adjusting’ should be finished by the end of the year, when Mr Ringsdore also hoped that Wave would be able to push the latest in mobile technology, 3G.
Although the network was already in place, the company was waiting for handset companies, such as Motorola, to come up with a realistically-priced model that people would want to buy.
The manufacturers have been waiting for networks to be put in place before investing in the new phones.
Wave is hoping to capitalise on the Christmas market for the advanced technology phones, which will feature options such as video telephony.
Mr Ringsdore said that customers had welcomed the variety of tariffs open to them and that the company had taken on board feedback with a view to introducing new ones.
Article posted on 11th August, 2004 - 12.00am
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