Nokia Pinpoints Keys to Telecom Loyalty

How can telecom brands keep current customers on the line? Think about products, not just price.

That's the upshot of a survey conducted by Nokia to help mobile phone operators cut customer churn. Nokia found five essentials that impacted consumers' initial choice of service provider: calling plans, operator brand image, handset features, network quality and cost.

But current customers have a different set of priorities, choosing to stay or switch providers based on brand image, network quality, and switching barriers.

Who's most likely to switch? Younger, mid- to high-income subscribers, who are heavy phone users and usually contract customers. In fact, contract customers are more likely to switch than pre-paid customers, lured by special offers on calling plans and new phones.

Espoo, Finland-based Nokia surveyed 3,900 consumers in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Thailand and Brazil via research group GfK NOP.