3 Mobile admits to 'historic error' in overstating subscribers since 2006

nuttlys

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2010/0827/1224277688438.html

THERE MUST be quite a few red faces at mobile operator 3 and telecoms watchdog ComReg over last week’s news that 3 has been overstating its subscriber numbers here since 2006. ComReg must now recalculate its market statistics going back four years.

The error related to the number of “active” pre-paid subscribers 3 claimed to have on its books. In a statement, 3 said it was a “historic error in reporting” and it was “working closely” with ComReg to rectify the error. It is hugely embarrassing for a company that won the right to operate the National Broadband Scheme.

3 is owned by multinational Hutchison Whampoa. Its latest results show that 56 per cent of 3’s 554,000 registered subscribers here are considered active. This is about 310,000 – some way short of the figure supplied to ComReg.

This also reflects badly on the regulator. Some months ago, O2, the second-biggest mobile player here, contacted ComReg to question the subscriber numbers supplied by 3, based on its own customer experiences.

On June 14th, commissioner Mike Byrne wrote to O2’s chief financial officer Paul Whelan to say it had “concluded an analysis of the concerns” but had found nothing amiss.

“Our conclusion is that the divergence from industry norms is capable of being explained by several factors around the H3GI business model which differs from other operators in a number of significant areas.”

In other words, there is no case to answer. Earlier this month, 3 contacted the regulator to say it had overstated its figures, which makes you wonder about the quality of the “analysis” by ComReg on foot of O2’s complaint.

ComReg is now “investigating” the matter and 3 could find itself on the end of a stiff censure and fine. What a mess.

CIARÁN HANCOCK
The Irish Times - Friday, August 27, 2010

Anyone surprised? Three are really are living up to their cowboy name.

drunkmonkey

And how many of the 3 million + pre paid 02, Vodafone & Meteor customers are active? There all at it. The numbers just don't add up when you put all the networks numbers together.

Davy

Its about time they realised. Whatever about H3gI making the fub up, but comreg's own figures have proved this before but they couldn't see the wood from the trees!

A network that only has 4% market share, but hundreds of thousand customers:rolleyes:

Sponge Bob

Only 50% of all registered three prepaid SIMs are active.

1. Active = used in the past three months
2. Registered = used in the past 13 months, maximum.

3 were reporting the registered number to Comreg rather than the active number like Comreg insist on.

ChopShop

drunkmonkey wrote: »

And how many of the 3 million + pre paid 02, Vodafone & Meteor customers are active? .

This.


They're all fudging numbers all over the place.

Commreg is a toothless dog and they're trying to prove themselves by making an 'example' of a network that's already in a comparatively weak position by 'virtue' of a poor reputation.

Sponge Bob

wernstrom! wrote: »

dog and they're trying to prove themselves by making an 'example' of a network that's already in a comparatively weak position by 'virtue' of a poor reputation.

What actually happened ( around 2 weeks ago) was that three admitted they were lying (completely out of the blue) and Comreg _had_ to do something about it.

I don't know whether their lie was brought to the attention of Comreg or whether Comreg noticed it themselves. Around 3 or 4 days later Comreg published a document saying they had noticed it

evolutionqy7

well these stats will never be true...im using meteor + got 2 meteor sims laying around (dont even know why) 1 o2 sim and somewhere around the house should be a 3 sim