Shaw Doesn’t Get JAJAH
Source: saunderslog.com
Russell Shaw’s Nine reasons why JAJAH Mobile Suite is no threat to cell OR VoIP completely misses the mark. He writes that JAJAH is no threat to mobile because:
- Most cell users are already in the midst of their service contracts, and aren’t going to stop using the alloted minutes they are paying for. Even if JAJAH’s on their mind.
- Cell users on discounted minutes (who must pay comparatively lofty per-minute rates during peak hours) are not likely to be the same technology early adopters that will ditch it all for JAJAH.
- Since non-early adopters tend to associate with other non-early adopters, they aren’t likely to know other JAJAH users they can actually use this service with.
- Cell power users with pricey plans are, generally speaking, of a demographic that’s more friendly to innovation. Yet since they are already set with their calling plans, why would they want to change their way of calling?
- Power users might tend to look down on these services as promotional-driven rather than function-driven.
The point of JAJAH for Mobile is that the savings occur transparently. On the Nokia N70, which I have, when JAJAH kicks in the only way I know that the call is being dialled by JAJAH is that a JAJAH logo appears on the screen beside the number as it’s being dialled. It’s a completely transparent experience!
- I am contract free. You’re darn right that I am going to change the North American roaming minutes I’m paying for to a more attractive plan.
- It doesn’t matter if the people I am calling are on JAJAH or not. What matters is paying 2.5 cents per minute (plus 10 cents for airtime) on only long distance call. instead of 11 cents + airtime on ALL my calls.
- As a cell power user with a pricey plan (my bill is over $500 per month) this matters a great deal to me.
The only thing holding me back at the moment is their (hopefully) soon to be announced Blackberry client. I like what I see on the N70, and can hardly wait for it to be available for my primary handset.
JAJAH is pretty clearly not a threat to the cellular phone industry, but it’s definitely a threat to their lucrative long distance business.
UPDATE. Luca Fillighedu has similar doubts to Russell Shaw’s. I am wondering if the experience on a non-Nokia handset is so intrusive that it ruins the overall calling experience. Hmmm…
