You have to adapt to local economic circumstances. Looking to the example of Orange in the UK and with a marketing manager with Danish telecom experience, Q GSM has done just this. It was the first Estonian operator to offer subsidised handsets and free minutes in their packages - both revolutionary approaches at the time. With a low-cost entry level and the option of prepaid vouchers, Q GSM's locally innovative pricing strategy has helped cellular communication in Estonia on the same basis as in the rest of Europe. Four years ago, mobile phones were used almost exclusively by business.
Pricing is only part of the story.
Q GSM recognised that extending mobile phone ownership to ordinary people required a very different approach to marketing. A comprehensive strategy developed brand awareness and enabled them to make rapid inroads into the embryonic mass market. Though the competition have also benefited from the expansion of consumer numbers, initial complacency allowed Q GSM to build up a strong brand image. In under four years it has become the second-equal largest national operator. Accession and the future Deregulation and new laws have produced compatibility between local legislation and technical standards and those of external markets.