A new telecommunications company has just been launched in Singapore. He called Gorilla Mobile, is aimed at PMET (professionals, managers, executives and technicians), as well as local and global companies.
Today, in a media briefing, Xanne Leo, founder and CEO of Gorilla Mobile, said the company hopes to revolutionize the industry with Singapore’s first on-demand service model and SwitchBack’s unique feature.
“All telecommunications simply assume that everyone wants and needs more data. However, we have found that this is not true, ”Xanne said.
With Gorilla Mobile, users pay only for what they use to ensure a modular and fair way to use and pay for mobile services.
Explaining more about the a la carte service model, he compared it to Netflix, where a user pays a fixed monthly subscription fee to access all kinds of TV shows and movies in different genres and languages.
(Think of it this way) Netflix will introduce a flexible, customizable package so you can have a more personalized experience. All you have to do is tell me, at the beginning of each month, how many comedy movies you will see and how many hours of horror movies you think you will consume that month.
If you have not selected documentaries, it will not be displayed on your profile. All of this is very simple and flexible, as you can change the whole combo for next month at the click of a button. (For) most of us, this probably won’t translate into a very good user experience, but that’s exactly what’s happening in the telecommunications space right now.
– Xanne Leo, founder and CEO of Gorilla Mobile
She sees it as a “very demanding model,” in which she requires users to have expert knowledge of the features and benefits so they can make an informed decision. It also assumes that all users can accurately predict its use and consumption.
That is why Gorilla Mobile chooses to take a different approach and build its services and benefits digitally.
“They’re all accessible and readily available in the mobile app for our users 24 hours a day, and you only pay for what you use,” Xanne said.
He added that his signature is its blockchain-powered SwitchBack feature. It is basically an automatic backtrack feature that allows users to convert their unused mobile data into digital tabs, known as Gorilla Go tabs, that work with Ethereum.
These tokens (which do not have an expiration date) can be used to clear future bills, exchange other mobile services, or share them with others, such as co-workers, including those abroad.
Our SwitchBack feature can be compared to the Singapore Parking app. Users only pay for the duration of parking and will be reimbursed for unused time. Through SwitchBack, unused data is never lost. Its value is reassigned to offset, purchase or exchange for other Gorilla services.
– Xanne Leo, founder and CEO of Gorilla Mobile
Exclusive functions exclusive to SMEs
“(Our) formula focuses on the PMET and SME market,” Xanne stressed.
Pre-pandemic, he noted that many business executives in this market tend to travel frequently to work. However, with the Covid-19 blockade, business travel has been suspended and many have moved to work from home; this also means that they are connected to WiFi most of the time.
Therefore, Gorilla Mobile wants to make full use of this unexploited mobile data and turn it into something that can be of value to users.
He also noted that the post-pandemic situation also requires some of our staff to make international calls from their mobile at home or be required to receive calls abroad from their mobile at home because they do not have access to the lines. of equipped offices and included with IDD call capability.
“The complete set of solutions for mobile of Gorilla Mobile is digitized so that you can access it easily from the mobile application. We built it to work from home, from the office or from any situation (type of) situation. … I think our solutions must also be different to meet them (changing needs). “
Its Switch25 mobile plan starts at S $ 25 a month for 20 GB of mobile data, 100 minutes of talk time and 100 SMS messages (short message service).
Comparing her plan with other corporate telecommunications plans, Xanne acknowledged that “they are not the most advanced, but neither are they the most basic available on the market.”
He also exposed the fact that Gorilla Mobile offers unique features exclusive to SMEs, such as the automatic invoice clearing feature and computer sharing features.
“(Let’s take), for example, a company that has 50 or 100 mobile lines. All 100 lines with unused mobile data each month will automatically switch back to a company account. This will make the accounting and finance job much easier for these companies. “
In addition, it offers data sharing with anyone, regardless of whether you are in different telecommunications companies.
“Data sharing (normally) only applies to a specific data sharing plan and should only be shared with additional lines or fixed complementary lines to subscribers. Our unlimited sharing feature allows you to share any amount with any person at any time; it does not have to be the same subscriber or have a fixed limit “.
Is there room for a new telecommunications player in S’pore?
The telecommunications market in Singapore is already quite saturated as Gorilla Mobile occupies its position as the 13th telecommunications company here.
With such stiff competition, how is Gorilla Mobile preparing to capture market share in Singapore?
When you have a homogeneous and commodified product, the fastest and fastest way to compete is (reduce) prices. This usually happens when there is a lack of innovation or innovation has ceased to exist, and usually also means the end of the technological age.
– Xanne Leo, founder and CEO of Gorilla Mobile
Now that we are moving into an era of 5G, Xanne firmly believes that there will be more exciting developments in the telecommunications space.
According to its findings, when significant levels of innovation and technological advances occur, consumers will move away from price and begin to focus on service differentiation.
“I believe Gorilla Mobile has an unprecedented innovative service for PMETs and SMEs today, we have a better model, we have a better service and we offer a better experience.”
Gorilla Mobile had started as a travel SIM card company in 2019. Its plans to launch itinerant travel data cards in May 2020 were dampened by the Covid-19 pandemic, so they were forced to change your business plans and pivot.
Xanne is aware that Singapore is a saturated market and, for her, the “gold strategy” is to reach a niche product or service or target specific market segments. Innovation is also key.
“In Singapore, we’re looking at 2.5 million PMETs and about 200,000 SMEs; this is where we’d really like to take a piece of the pie,” he said.
He added that Gorilla Mobile has secured partnerships and partnered with many business partnerships such as Enterprise Singapore and Singapore Business Federation, so he hopes this will help them provide the network and entry point to the market.
Gorilla Mobile has been established with an initial capital of US $ 3 million and is expected to raise another US $ 5 million in Series A funding. The funds will be used to develop its product roadmap and to to the expanding market in Southeast Asia.
They plan to launch in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, before exploring long-term expansion into Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
In the coming months, the company will also introduce new services, such as a global roaming travel data SIM card, international direct dialing (IDD) and Office global telephony solutions.
Interested customers can sign up for Gorilla Mobile’s Switch25 Mobile plan on their website. The plan is available to all companies registered in Singapore, Singapore, permanent residents, EPass, EntrePass and SPass holders over 21 years of age.
From June 18 to August 18, new customers, both private and business, are also entitled to a reward for difference in bills of up to US $ 50 per mobile number, which are paid directly into their PayNow account when be carried out successfully.
“As we are still in our pre-launch phase, gradually incorporating all of our services into the market, we welcome users to try our service and share their valuable feedback as we bolster our offerings and offer more services to better serve their services. needs “, summed up Xanne.
Featured Image Credit: Gorilla Mobile / Geek Culture
