How Telemach Slovenija took the lead in broadband on the Slovenian market
Nazaj na Zatemnitve
Slovenia has four strong national operators each operating their own infrastructure, making it one of the most competitive markets in the world, especially due to its size. Despite this, Telemach recently also became the leader in broadband internet access. In the last few years, our market share grew by more than 5 %, from a market share of 25.6% in 2017 to 30.8% at the end of 2020.
This accomplishment is particularly significant as we are one of only a few alternative operators in Europe who overtook their market’s former monopolist. We are all the more proud of this achievement because we succeeded in doing this during the coronavirus pandemic – an enormous challenge for everyone around the world, but especially so for telecommunication operators. So how did we do it?
We invest in delivering the best
From day one, Telemach had a clear vision of what we wanted to deliver. We understand that excellent products and services are the foundation of any business and we continuously invest and innovate to provide our users with superior offers.
We built our own GIGA network with the largest NGN footprint in Slovenia, offering internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps, and we have plans already in place to upgrade to next-generation technologies that will enable speeds of up to 10 Gbps.
Slovenia has a very competitive mobile market. We responded by focusing on data as we planned our mobile plans. We introduced three simple, transparent mobile plans VEČ, offering large amounts of mobile data, which changed the Slovenian market forever. Our premium offering was the only mobile plan in Slovenia at the time to offer unlimited data.
Today, watching TV needs to be a unique experience. Our proprietary EON TV platform is key to delivering that to our users. It was developed by United Cloud, the development and innovation center of Telemach’s parent company United Group. United Cloud’s team of developers, UX specialists, and other technology professionals contributed their expertise to build something that helped redefine the television experience in our market.
Great content is the key
Let’s not forget, great entertainment also requires great content.
Users want to be entertained, so we offer them a wide variety great channels – sports, entertainment, kids and news. Our portfolio includes the best of international and local content, including more than 45 top Pay TV channels across the region, produced and broadcasted by United Media, United Group’s media and productions company.
Since high definition channels are mandatory nowadays, we are constantly adding new ones and currently lead the market with a total of 119 of them, slowly adding 4K. We offer seven days of catch-up TV and Video Klub, our Video on Demand platform with more than 18,000 titles, with no extra charge to our customers. EON TV can be watched also on all mobile devices with the same user experience.
A focus on user experience
However, we wouldn’t be able to succeed if we wouldn’t take care of our customers. Understanding their needs is Telemach’s top priority.
We continue surprising new and existing users with data increases in mobile plans (from 10 GB to unlimited in the premium mobile plan) and higher internet speeds in fixed bundles. We’ve done this almost ten times in the last five years while keeping prices affordable. What is even more important, our offering is easy to understand and comes without hidden costs, so users know exactly what they pay for.
We are proud to achieve great success with our bundles, managing to reach more than 80% of users of triple-play and more than 50% of convergent fixed and mobile. The opportunity to subscribe to all telecommunications services in one place without the worry of additional costs was well received by the market and Telemach has been able to become the customers’ first choice across all major telecommunications segments.
All of this led to Umlaut’s study among Slovenian users showing that Telemach’s user satisfaction is the highest in the country.
Real winners emerge in times of crisis
In 2020, people’s lives moved online due to the pandemic. This was a true test for our networks and our organization. However, we managed to make the right upgrades, organize remote work and increase capacities to allow unhindered traffic so that our users encountered almost no difficulties. During that time, our market share in fixed broadband grew from 27.7% to 30.8%.
We are very proud of all our employees. Together with them, we were well prepared for the new way of doing business so our transition could happen quickly.
With our success coming at a very challenging time, we wanted to give back. Together with our parent company United Group, we donated USD 3 million to help the entire region. This included USD 500,000 for medical supplies in Slovenia. Additionally, we donated tablets with internet access to children from families in need to support them in their school studies, which were disrupted by the pandemic.
How do we measure success?
Over the last few years, we have transformed our culture from product to customer-centric. We shifted our focus to our Net Promoter Score (NPS) and strong operational KPI’s.
We continuously measure user satisfaction at multiple touchpoints. In doing so, we can optimize our work and adapt to make our users even happier. However, this also offers us the ability to measure our own success and set new goals. We also believe that in order to have satisfied customers, we need motivated, and dedicated employees, which is why we continually invest in their knowledge and satisfaction.
Our efforts are reflected in our users’ trust and growth in their numbers. As mentioned above, one of our biggest successes came as we took the lead in Slovenia’s fixed broadband market. However, our customer-centric view and focus on user experience also led us to other victories.
We excelled in mobile communications, growing from a market share of around 19% in 2017 to 23.6% at the end of last year and we recently passed an important milestone in this segment as we made our way to 600,000 users. All of these indicators show us that we continued to gain ground even during the pandemic.
What have we learned?
During this time, we became experts in knowing what our users want. While this helped us achieve many of our goals, we continue to strive towards new ones.
Adrian Ježina, President of the Management Board of Telemach Slovenia, said: “Investments in our employees, continuous technology investments, network stability, and an outstanding offering tailored to every user are certainly the main reasons why most users choose to become members of the Telemach family. We are extremely proud of our success, as it reflects our efforts to offer the best user experience and reliable high-tech services.”
We will continue to invest in all segments of our business to ensure that our customers are always happy.
An important next step in the development of telecommunications technology is 5G. By switching to 5G technology, we will be able to continue setting trends, providing impeccable service and the best user experience. This next-generation technology will bring benefits in many areas – for the individual as well as for society, the economy, and the environment.
How Telemach Slovenija took the lead in broadband on the Slovenian market
For years, Telemach, part of United Group, has been one of Slovenia’s biggest telecommunications operators, the leading provider of paid video content, and the country’s fastest-growing mobile operator. We offer a reliable and quality network, advanced and innovative services, engaging content, and a great user experience to customers across the country.Slovenia has four strong national operators each operating their own infrastructure, making it one of the most competitive markets in the world, especially due to its size. Despite this, Telemach recently also became the leader in broadband internet access. In the last few years, our market share grew by more than 5 %, from a market share of 25.6% in 2017 to 30.8% at the end of 2020.
This accomplishment is particularly significant as we are one of only a few alternative operators in Europe who overtook their market’s former monopolist. We are all the more proud of this achievement because we succeeded in doing this during the coronavirus pandemic – an enormous challenge for everyone around the world, but especially so for telecommunication operators. So how did we do it?
We invest in delivering the best
From day one, Telemach had a clear vision of what we wanted to deliver. We understand that excellent products and services are the foundation of any business and we continuously invest and innovate to provide our users with superior offers.
We built our own GIGA network with the largest NGN footprint in Slovenia, offering internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps, and we have plans already in place to upgrade to next-generation technologies that will enable speeds of up to 10 Gbps.
Slovenia has a very competitive mobile market. We responded by focusing on data as we planned our mobile plans. We introduced three simple, transparent mobile plans VEČ, offering large amounts of mobile data, which changed the Slovenian market forever. Our premium offering was the only mobile plan in Slovenia at the time to offer unlimited data.
Today, watching TV needs to be a unique experience. Our proprietary EON TV platform is key to delivering that to our users. It was developed by United Cloud, the development and innovation center of Telemach’s parent company United Group. United Cloud’s team of developers, UX specialists, and other technology professionals contributed their expertise to build something that helped redefine the television experience in our market.
Great content is the key
Let’s not forget, great entertainment also requires great content.
Users want to be entertained, so we offer them a wide variety great channels – sports, entertainment, kids and news. Our portfolio includes the best of international and local content, including more than 45 top Pay TV channels across the region, produced and broadcasted by United Media, United Group’s media and productions company.
Since high definition channels are mandatory nowadays, we are constantly adding new ones and currently lead the market with a total of 119 of them, slowly adding 4K. We offer seven days of catch-up TV and Video Klub, our Video on Demand platform with more than 18,000 titles, with no extra charge to our customers. EON TV can be watched also on all mobile devices with the same user experience.
A focus on user experience
However, we wouldn’t be able to succeed if we wouldn’t take care of our customers. Understanding their needs is Telemach’s top priority.
We continue surprising new and existing users with data increases in mobile plans (from 10 GB to unlimited in the premium mobile plan) and higher internet speeds in fixed bundles. We’ve done this almost ten times in the last five years while keeping prices affordable. What is even more important, our offering is easy to understand and comes without hidden costs, so users know exactly what they pay for.
We are proud to achieve great success with our bundles, managing to reach more than 80% of users of triple-play and more than 50% of convergent fixed and mobile. The opportunity to subscribe to all telecommunications services in one place without the worry of additional costs was well received by the market and Telemach has been able to become the customers’ first choice across all major telecommunications segments.
All of this led to Umlaut’s study among Slovenian users showing that Telemach’s user satisfaction is the highest in the country.
Real winners emerge in times of crisis
In 2020, people’s lives moved online due to the pandemic. This was a true test for our networks and our organization. However, we managed to make the right upgrades, organize remote work and increase capacities to allow unhindered traffic so that our users encountered almost no difficulties. During that time, our market share in fixed broadband grew from 27.7% to 30.8%.
We are very proud of all our employees. Together with them, we were well prepared for the new way of doing business so our transition could happen quickly.
With our success coming at a very challenging time, we wanted to give back. Together with our parent company United Group, we donated USD 3 million to help the entire region. This included USD 500,000 for medical supplies in Slovenia. Additionally, we donated tablets with internet access to children from families in need to support them in their school studies, which were disrupted by the pandemic.
How do we measure success?
Over the last few years, we have transformed our culture from product to customer-centric. We shifted our focus to our Net Promoter Score (NPS) and strong operational KPI’s.
We continuously measure user satisfaction at multiple touchpoints. In doing so, we can optimize our work and adapt to make our users even happier. However, this also offers us the ability to measure our own success and set new goals. We also believe that in order to have satisfied customers, we need motivated, and dedicated employees, which is why we continually invest in their knowledge and satisfaction.
Our efforts are reflected in our users’ trust and growth in their numbers. As mentioned above, one of our biggest successes came as we took the lead in Slovenia’s fixed broadband market. However, our customer-centric view and focus on user experience also led us to other victories.
We excelled in mobile communications, growing from a market share of around 19% in 2017 to 23.6% at the end of last year and we recently passed an important milestone in this segment as we made our way to 600,000 users. All of these indicators show us that we continued to gain ground even during the pandemic.
What have we learned?
During this time, we became experts in knowing what our users want. While this helped us achieve many of our goals, we continue to strive towards new ones.
Adrian Ježina, President of the Management Board of Telemach Slovenia, said: “Investments in our employees, continuous technology investments, network stability, and an outstanding offering tailored to every user are certainly the main reasons why most users choose to become members of the Telemach family. We are extremely proud of our success, as it reflects our efforts to offer the best user experience and reliable high-tech services.”
We will continue to invest in all segments of our business to ensure that our customers are always happy.
An important next step in the development of telecommunications technology is 5G. By switching to 5G technology, we will be able to continue setting trends, providing impeccable service and the best user experience. This next-generation technology will bring benefits in many areas – for the individual as well as for society, the economy, and the environment.