The year 2017 is inevitably coming to an end. It's high time to summarize the changes that have occurred over the past 12 months – especially the major ones that have affected all of us. We're talking about the introduction of the "Roam Like At Home" rule and the mandatory registration of SIM cards. How did this year look for operators, and what are the forecasts for the future? We encourage you to read on!
Roam Like At Home
The most widely discussed phenomenon in the telecommunications industry, the introduction of free roaming in EU countries, was theoretically supposed to be a salvation for everyone, but how did it look in practice? Some customers began to abuse the new convenience, exposing operators to significant financial losses. There was a phenomenon of mass use of Polish numbers (and therefore favorable roaming conditions) by Poles living abroad, for whom it was more profitable to pay bills in their native currency than to overpay in euros (telecommunications services in our country are among the cheapest in the entire Union). This led to a wave of applications to UKE (Office of Electronic Communications), aiming to reintroduce charges for Poles staying abroad for too long. The applications were accepted in most cases. Rest assured – if you belong to the group of people who use roaming only during occasional trips, you can still enjoy the absence of additional charges. Everything is moving towards harmony. 🙂
SIM Card Registration
The necessity of registering prepaid cards was already discussed in 2016, when the new anti-terrorism law was passed. However, on February 1, 2017, all operators were obliged to deactivate unregistered numbers. The mandatory registration of cards was intended to limit the ability of individuals potentially involved in terrorist or criminal activities to communicate. According to GUS (Statistics Poland), at the end of 2016, there were approximately 55 million active SIM cards in Poland – so there was a lot to register. 😉 This change particularly affected operators like Mobile Vikings – offering exclusively prepaid plans. The challenge was to warn and inform all active Vikings about the necessity of registration, which risked losing users who did not comply with this obligation. However, according to our information, the Viking family did not shrink in number, and all of you knew what needed to be done. Perhaps this is because one of the most frequently searched phrases in 2017 was "how to check if a number is registered"... 😉 Regardless, registration did not prove to be a problem. It was to be expected – after all, as a community, we fear nothing.
Technology – Expectations vs. Reality
At the beginning of 2017, the first predictions emerged that smartphones would soon replace computers. Indeed, the rate of mobile phone usage has significantly increased, but it was 2016 that was a breakthrough year. It was then that for the first time, the number of users consuming content on mobile devices surpassed the number of users on desktop and laptop computers. Currently, we are observing a gradual upward trend, but for now, we cannot speak of smartphones completely displacing computers. An exception is online activities – mobile definitively dominates in this area. Staying on the topic of mobile phones, it's worth looking at those that gained the most popularity over the past year. In the Spider's Web ranking, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and S8 Plus, iPhone X, Huawei Mate 10, and LG G6 were among those highlighted. Were we waiting for any specific phone model this year? Undoubtedly, the release of the refreshed version of the iconic Nokia 3310 caused a huge stir. However, after the premiere, emotions quickly subsided, and the device itself turned out to be disappointing. A pity. Shortly thereafter, there was immense interest in the Chinese brand Xiaomi, which appeared on the Polish market in 2016. As it turned out, low prices and high quality can go hand in hand. We hoped for this not only this year.
Mobile Vikings Year in Review
Summarizing 2017, we can say with full responsibility that it was a good year for Vikings. Recently, we loudly celebrated our fourth birthday, celebrating numerous successes and an ever-growing team, successful campaigns, and established partnerships. Among other things, we remembered this year's Survival Race, where you all fought so bravely! This year is also, above all, a year for us under the slogan #LiveNoLimit. The entire campaign and the contest, especially its finale, were great fun for us – it was wonderful to get to know you and your passions better. We hope there will be even more such opportunities. We had some fun, but we didn't forget about learning – all editions of Startup Without Secrets gave us a lot to think about! Therefore, we can already say from this point that there will be more such initiatives – the next one is in January, stay tuned. The beginning of the new year also brings new initiatives to promote programming with the League of Extraordinary Minds. Ah… It all sounds very exciting. We are counting on it… and we are even sure that the next year will be as exciting as the one that is just passing. 🙂
What are we waiting for?
As a mobile network, we are most eagerly awaiting the arrival of new technology – 5G networks. This is unlikely to happen next year, or even in two years, but patience will surely pay off. Experts predict that the fifth generation will provide not only faster but also interference-resistant connectivity. Additionally, the new technology will drive even greater development of the so-called Internet of Things – refrigerators, televisions, and even showers or mirrors connected to the network will become commonplace. It is estimated that research on 5G networks will be completed in 2020, and we will be able to use their effects widely two years later.
We are rubbing our hands together thinking about all the challenges that await us in 2018. We are happy that there are more and more of you every month, and the Viking community is growing. 🙂 We wish you a Happy New Year, lots of accumulated internet, and impeccable coverage for the next 12 months – and even longer!
