It has been claimed that Amazon, which offers many services to its users for a monthly fee through Prime subscription, wants to bring an innovation to this system in the USA. According to a report by Bloomberg, which is based on sources close to the subject, the company wants to offer mobile phone service to Prime subscribers in the country.
Amazon can offer this service for free or for a very small additional fee. In other words, Prime subscribers in the USA can get additional mobile network service by paying only 10 dollars per month. Bloomberg adds that the company has been discussing this plan for about two months.
Amazon may want to make such a move because the number of subscriptions has not increased.
According to the report, the technology giant is in talks with major mobile operators in the country such as Verizon, T-Mobile and Dish Network for the service. It is said that this move of the company may be to increase customer loyalty.
Amazon increased its annual Prime fee in the US from $119 to $139 last year. As you can imagine, this did not please the customers in the country. So much so that last March, the number of subscribers was announced as 167 million, and it was seen that there was no increase compared to the previous year. So with its new wireless service, Amazon may want to make such moves to increase interest and loyalty to the Prime subscription, which already has many advantages such as fast delivery and Prime Video.
In addition, the company is in competition with Walmart, one of the largest supermarket chains in the USA. Walmart offers a subscription to Walmart+, which costs $98 per year. This subscription, which costs less, includes many things like Prime, including fast delivery benefits and a subscription to Paramount+. This may be one reason why Amazon wants to offer cell phone service.
Amazon isn’t the only company looking to offer cell phone service. Another technology giant, Google, offered a service called Google Fi. Having agreed with the operators, the company used its base stations to provide users with mobile internet, making calls and messaging through this service.
Such a move can affect operators
Of course, it is a matter of curiosity how the US operators will be affected if such a thing really happens. Telecommunication companies may lose customers who pay around $50 per month due to mobile service for $10 per month.
So even if these companies pay to use Amazon networks, they can suffer huge losses. However, Bloomberg says that operators that invest heavily in 5G are looking for ways to generate revenue, so they can’t say no to such an offer.
An Amazon spokesperson denied the claim.
On the other hand, a statement on the subject came from Amazon. Speaking to TechCrunch after the allegation emerged, spokesperson Bradley Mattinger noted that they do not plan to add mobile services to Prime at the moment.
Bloomberg, on the other hand, states that it may take months for the service to arrive; He says he may never come. In short, there is no definite information as of now. We will see what the company will do in the coming days.