Truphone Heart, International Roaming GSM Network

Tru is a fantastic option for international travel. But how many customers use Tru on a day to day basis?

There are a number who do actually, but one can’t help but wonder how many more customers Tru could keep (and maintain) should they follow these five recommendations to keep their current customers happy and even bring more people to their international network:

1. Bundle plans.
We had written an article previously on this. Everyone loves a bundle, because a bundle generally means a money-saving deal or two. Tru could offer, say, unlimited messaging for 19.36 GBP ($30 USD) as an example. Minutes could also be an option. Coupled with their current ability to have multiple numbers per SIM for USA, UK, and Australia, this would give it a much more competitive reason for customers (especially those who rarely use their phone to talk) to choose Tru, even over their country’s local providers.

2. MMS (Picture/Video Messaging)
As it stands, MMS is not something that Tru offers on their network. With all the smartphones and great cameras being offered worldwide, MMS would be something that would greatly benefit customers who want to send a photo back to their loved ones at home when they’re abroad.

3. 4G support
Right now, we don’t think this is something Tru needs immediately, possibly not even this year, but 4G support is definitely something they should look into to keep their network modern and efficient. That being said, if you have a T-Mobile USA phone, you may have access to services T-Mobile markets in the USA as 4G, though you would have to be in the US to use those services.

4. Mobile Data, Apple iPhone/iPad, BlackBerry and Android plans
Let’s face it, mobile data is extremely expensive, especially if you’re an MVNO operating devices like the iPhone and iPad on your network and you’re trying to cut a deal with a local provider. This does go back to recommendation #1 in a way, but because data is always an expensive affair, we believe it should be separate. Since Android and Apple users are notorious for using a large amount of data, if these plans do see the light of day, we suspect they wouldn’t be unlimited, nor would they be the cheapest plans on the block. Still, options are good, and they would be a most welcome and important addition to the Truphone lineup.

5. More Tru Countries
Okay, this one goes without saying, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least point it out. Currently, Tru supports the UK, the USA, and Australia as far as local numbers go. Extending local numbers to countries like Canada, Japan, and France would go a long way in adding many new customers to the Truphone family.

Do you agree with these recommendations? What other ideas do you have for making Tru a more attractive and competitive wireless carrier? Sound off in the comments!

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By Josh Robert Nay

Josh Robert Nay is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TruTower. He has worked in the telecommunications industry since 2003 and specializes in GSM based technology. He also uses (too many) VoIP apps and is a long-time user of BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Phone. He adores anything having to do with space exploration and writing. In addition to the links below, he can be found on LinkedIn and can also be found on his website at http://www.joshrobertnay.com.