By Awan S
Who do you call the most?
Every one of us has a close knit group we usually love to talk to or have to keep in touch with. Keeping this in mind, it is not surprise that almost all cellular companies offer services to economize this natural need for high frequency affiliation with a select few. Over time, this has come to be known as “FnF”.
FnF, which stands for “friends and family” feature, is very useful because it allows you to interact with your own close knit group at lower rates, making it economically viable to stay in contact with those you love talking to the most.
It basically allows you to make cheap calls and send SMS to a select few frequently dialed numbers that you have the liberty to choose. Taking this one step further, you can add, remove and replace these numbers depending on the evolving phases of your mood and life.
Addition/Deletion of FnF and it’s cost:
If you are an avid user of this feature, you should know that the price point of the offer is not the only thing that should be factored into the decision making. Finding out a few facts wouldn’t hurt. While trying to understand how FnF works, you would be surprised to know that a good chunk of your balance is consumed in ‘adding’ numbers to your FnF package. The below analysis will help you figure out where you can get the best value for money.
The table compares what different operators are charging. You would be surprised to see that Ufone and Warid remain on the higher side with charges of Rs 10 per number and Rs 9 per number respectively. Even though Ufone’s target customers are youth based and its marketing is aggressive; numerous bits of hidden pricing distort what their connection actually costs.
Mobilink and Telenor seem to be offering the best bet with charges of only Rs 5 per number. Considering that the probability of your most dialed numbers to be sitting on the Mobilink or the Telenor network are far higher, these operators could have gotten away with charging a higher fee.
Zong too offers Rs 5 per number, however, this price point seems more driven towards motivating consumers to use this feature rather than a good will gesture as in the case of Mobilink and Telenor.
Given that the packages pricing may vary; while Ufone and Warid might have better tariffs to offer, but charges for change/addition of FnF are as following:
Given the emotional bonds of family and friends, it is good to know that some companies are out there to give you value for money and offering products that make staying mobile easier on your pocket.
This is a blessing at a time when everything from the price of groceries to petroleum is going up. When all else lets you down, you have the comfort of being able to share the burden with your family and friends at a very low cost thanks to the FnF feature.
Writer is working with a research based organization in Islamabad and is equipped with interest for growing Telecom industry in Pakistan.
