It’s only fitting that I use my executive powers here at SMS Text News to make sure the first question to be answered by the Ask Arun column is from my mum, April.
As always, neither Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone nor the Vodafone Group themeslves, are able to answer this question directly. Thus, I do my best to try and come up with a sufficiently good enough speculative answer to substitute.
So, to the first question. Mrs April MacLeod writes:
Dear Arun,
I’m a professional homemaker in her mid-fifties. I have been using a Nokia 3300 for some years on the Vodafone Pay As You Go service. Recently I’ve become aware of the stylish nature of mobile handsets today. Many of my friends now sport very modern, fashionable handsets that flip over. I agree with my son — it is wholly inappropriate for me to bring my old, battered Nokia, out of my handbag to make phone calls. I feel I need a phone that is a little more fashionable. Please could you advise?
PS: Mum sons tell me that the Vodafone ‘Simple’ range is not fashionable enough.
April
[Now, here is my attempt at a CEO-level response such as that which Arun might have responded with.]
Dear April,
Thank you for taking the time to write.
Here at the Vodafone Group, we are committed to providing an extensive range of mobile telecommunications services, including voice
and data communications. Despite what you may have read in the press recently, Vodafone is the world’s largest mobile
telecommunications company, with a significant presence in Continental
Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Far East through
the Company’s subsidiary undertakings, associated undertakings and
investments. (You’ll understand that I can’t specifically comment on what we here in Newbury refer to as ‘the Verizon issue’.)One of our core business principles is to help the people of the world to have fuller lives – both
through the services we provide and through the impact we have on the
world around us. It therefore fantastic to receive your question and I am delighted that we’ve been able to provide you service for many years.
Vodafone provides a wide range of customised mobile phone handsets for a diverse customer base. In fact, we have over 170 million customers worldwide. Quite a lot of them are old. It’s for this reason that we recently introduced Vodafone Simply (sample screenshot, left), which, I note your sons have suggested you avoid.
Vodafone Simply takes the complication out of communication offering you two mobile phones that are easy to use and easy to understand.
However, I note that the handset style is of particular importance to you. This isn’t a new phenomenon — handset manufacturers have, for quite a number of years, been continually innovating to develop increasingly fashionable handsets. Motorola in particular has resurrected itself in recent years with it’s SLVR and RAZR handset range which it refers to as a ‘collection’.
Motorola aren’t the only ones: Sony Ericsson were made by their T610 handset which millions bought. Nokia, of course, were a little slow to catch on and are busy sorting it out with the N-Series.
I have been pondering your needs for some time April and I’m now ready to recommend a particular handset. The handset I’ve chosen is the Motorola V3x.
It has a super, big vibrant screen, good big keys and a camera. However, the best feature of the handset, given your stylish criteria, is that it looks good in a handbag. When you want to make a call or use the device, you have to flip it open – which looks good!
It has the added bonus of not being a 3 year old Nokia too.
So, April, I hope that this has answered your query. Thank you once again for taking the time to write, and remember, our Vision is to be the world’s mobile communication leader –
enriching customers’ lives, helping individuals, businesses and
communities be more connected in a mobile world.Yours
Ask Arun
If you have a question you’d like to put to Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone, but you know you’ll never get an answer contacting Vodafone directly, please send it to askarun@smstextnews.com and we’ll do our best to speculate on an answer for you.