Mirada’s clients vs. COVID-19
Telco initiatives during the global coronavirus emergency
Heather Aspinall
Marketing Specialist
With the uncertainty that COVID-19 has imposed on the economy, industries and consumers, it’s extremely reassuring to hear about the actions being taken around the world to help us all pull together during what is now an almost worldwide quarantine. And in the telecommunications industry, we’re delighted to see that it is no different.
We’re glad to be in a position that allows us to support our clients as much as possible as they take generous and much-welcomed actions to help consumers during these difficult times. As we all know, there’s nothing like an episode of your favourite series to take your mind off something, or a free selection of children’s content to distract your kids while you work from home!
Starting with Spanish operator, PTV Telecom (part of PMO group), for whom we are helping launch the OTT-based platform, Zapi.. According to their website, PTV Telecom has increased the speed of their fibre optic internet to 1000Mbps for free and are also offering the free installation and use of TV services to existing phone or internet customers until the end of May. On their website, PTV Telecom are also giving away 5GB vouchers to all mobile customers until 25th May. One more action that caught our eye as to how much PTV Telecom cares about their customers is their promise, according to Cordópolis, to broadcast the daily mass from a parish in Córdoba every morning at 10:30.
Across the pond, One Communications, a leading pay TV operator in Bermuda and client of our Iris multiscreen solution, is also taking measures to look after their customers during the pandemic. One implemented essential news and children’s programming as part of their #CombatCOVID initiatives, and have since added a quality selection of new channels to their TV offering at no additional cost, including the Discovery Group of Channels, Food Network, OWN TV and more. Plans for their FibreWire internet customers will be boosted at no extra cost to a minimum download speed of 50Mbps, allowing multiple users at home to be online simultaneously and to stream content in HD. And if that’s not enough, One is also doubling the data offering to their mobile customers for the same price so they can be in touch with their loved ones now they need to more than ever!
In the case of our Mexican client, izzi Telecom, part of Televisa Group, you only have to check out their Twitter account to see all kinds of special offers and discounts they are giving to their customers during this difficult time, including discounts “from 10-100%” across their entire catalogue of on-demand content. izzi has promised to accompany their customers (#izziTeAcompaña) with free access to Fox Premium and their 10 channels to their entire subscriber base, along with over 10 new open channels showing films and series, unlimited internet to fixed services and unlimited calls to over 90 countries to help their customers keep in touch with family and friends around the world. Not bad!
Skytel, a leading telecommunications provider in Mongolia to whom we provide our OTT solution, is also taking action to combat the COVID effect. First of all, they are working with the government to ensure that all students are given free mobile access to “tele-lessons” on open educational resources such as ECONTENT so they can study from home. Skytel has also reduced the basic monthly fee for their Soyombo 92 services for civil servants for two months, to ensure timely communication between entities such as NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency), and to express gratitude to all the employees currently working tirelessly for the health of their country’s people.
Back in Spain, the network operator Orange, to whom Mirada provides editorial services for their TV service, have implemented a number of generous initiatives to help entertain their customers during the quarantine. Orange is giving 30GB for free to all of their fibre and mobile customers for a month. For their Orange TV customers, the operator is providing free children’s content through ‘Infantil Max’, in addition to three further packages: ‘Millennial’, ‘Premium Music’ and ‘Lifestyle’, which include 11 additional channels for the whole family, including Escapa TV, Stingray iConcerts and Mediapro’s U-BEAT. On top of that, Orange TV customers are being offered a free month of premium services including FlixOlé, Rakuten TV and the upcoming StarzPlay, which should no doubt keep their viewers – and Mirada’s team of editorial experts – occupied…
As for Mirada, we’re pleased to be able to end by saying that, despite the circumstances, it’s business as usual for us! Our employees are keeping themselves well-occupied, following the implementation of company-wide working from home practices, to ensure that we continue to deliver excellence and offer support to our clients who need it now more than ever, as we all unite in the fight to #CombatCOVID.