Survey: telcos looking to ‘super-bundle’ services with single billing

Close to nine in 10 (88%) leading telcos in the US and UK are planning to offer ‘super bundling’ content hubs that enable single payment for a range of content apps, according to a report commissioned by subscriptions bundling and payments specialist Bango.

Anil Malhotra

According to a survey carried out by Juniper Research for Bango, 88% of the leading telcos across the two countries plan to offer single payment for multiple subscriptions such as streaming services, which are delivered through a single online subscriptions hub.

The survey found that the need to create new revenue streams is the top priority for telco leaders, with over two-thirds (68%) citing it as ‘high priority’.

The survey found that increasing customer loyalty (65%) and accelerating customer acquisition (64%) are ranked as second and third ‘highest priorities’ for telco leaders.

Bango carried out a survey of 115 US and UK telco leaders — meaning senior strategic decision makers and budget holders within telecommunications brands.

The research found that 68% of telco leaders admit they are now “struggling” to maintain engagement with their customers. Some 82% of telco leaders believe super bundling will now be “vital” for their customer acquisition and retention strategy.

Sixty-three per cent of those surveyed believe their organizations will lose revenue and market share if they fail to launch super bundling hubs.

Anil Malhotra, Bango co-founder, said: “The telco industry has entered a race to the top. The small steps of “one-off” third-party content deals are no longer enough to drive customer engagement — it’s time for a giant leap into Super Bundling. There’s a huge opportunity for telcos willing to respond to consumer demands for greater choice and control in how they use and manage the ever-growing number of subscriptions and streaming services in their lives.”

“While the Super Bundling race has just got started, some of the biggest players in the market are already surging ahead.In the USA, Verizon has been making waves with its +play platform which brings together Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+ and dozens more services. Similarly, in Australia, Optus has launched SubHub, providing flexible access to a range of streaming services and subscriptions.