*Handsets again* John, I agree that handset production is the crucial issue for Globalstar [assuming Globalstar figures out that a huge surplus of minutes can only be sold by price cutting - they show no signs of figuring that out yet, sticking with the 50c price].
The way we are going, it seems that there will be plenty of handsets available [and phone boxes] because the minutes will be too expensive, pricing plans will be the usual ripoff the terrestrial providers have offered and demand will be kept low. This is not too bright and probably explains why the Globalstar share price is languishing.
See the previous post for how to sell handsets - auction on the Web as well as stock a few with Service Providers [who bid on the Web along with everyone else].
The key to success is to get the handsets to those who will use heaps of minutes. Those people will be the high bidder for the handset. People who just want to stick one in the car for emergencies will be put off by the high price of a handset. The people who will use heaps of minutes will be happy to bid a high handset price because they'll get a LOT of use out of the handset and it'll pay itself off in a couple of months if the minutes are really cheap.
This way, it will all nicely balance.
The volume discount idea seems dumb. That's the way to sell cars, fuels or other things where there are real savings by volume shipments and sales. If a service provider in NZ can't sell a lot, they should be given a CHEAPER price, to generate sales, not a more expensive price than that in China or USA where all the minutes will sell easily. The minutes need to be smoothed around the world so demand remains reasonable constant. Batteries can only carry so many minutes and circuits will be overloaded over China and USA.
The marketing programme seems to be out of the 1970s!
Now they are talking about a nice, gentle, gradual buildup, without even boasting about how many subscribers there are! Good grief. There should be a daily publicizing of number of subscribers, where they are, how much they are paying for minutes, how much the handsets are today. All that stuff. Make some noise!!!!
Sure John, you are right, until there are handsets out there, the minutes can't be used. Giving the handsets away won't sell minutes. Selling the handsets at a high price will [they could be leased or billed on a per minute basis with minimum monthly bills as alternatives to an outright sale if that's how Service Providers need to handle certain customers]. The high bidder for handsets will have a serious need for the minutes. Or, if they are simply rich and want to buy one, that doesn't matter either, it will encourage the handset producers to go wild producing handsets without any need for piercing eyes and pushing nonsense.
Actally, you are wrong about passing the handsets around - a company could rent them at an airport or somebody will sell minutes in some out of the way village and those handsets might be the busiest handsets, passed around to those who need them most. A busy village handset might run 10 hours a day. The owner of that business will be a high bidder for a handset. People will pass handsets around in this way. Same on a ship or plane, or other shared facility.
I think Globalstar calls will be high quality with no voice delay. I don't believe the lack of synchronisation in the AGM would have been a function of the Globalstar system. Maybe the call went via GEO!
Sure, the call quality will be as good as the weakest link, but that won't be Globalstar. Though some dropped calls will be because of shadows on a handset in a building or somewhere.
Maurice |
