RIDGELAND, Miss.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As it has for nearly a quarter century, C Spire Wireless spent this year putting its customers at the center of everything and discovering new ways to enhance their wireless experience. 2012 was a banner year for the company as it continued to grow its brand and take personalized wireless services to a new level. For its efforts, C Spire was named one of the top technology innovators by InformationWeek and the company’s CEO, Hu Meena, was named one of the U.S. wireless industry’s top 25 most powerful people by Fierce Wireless.
“SCOUT gets to know each consumer in a more intimate way and offers app and entertainment recommendations that match their interests and needs – providing content that is relevant, meaningful and more personalized for each customer”
“Personalized services from C Spire that adapt to each individual and put them at the center of everything has become the industry standard this year and will continue to evolve moving forward,” said Suzy Hays, senior vice president of Personalization and Brand Management . “Whether it’s our 4G LTE deployment, the introduction of new plans, enhanced services for businesses or our new prototype stores, 2012 was another year where we changed the wireless industry by providing first-to-market products and services customized and personalized for each customer.”
4G LTE NETWORK
Most recently, C Spire Wireless completed the eighth wave of deployment of its 4G LTE (Fourth Generation Long Term Evolution) high-speed mobile broadband services. The new service provides 4 out of every 10 consumers and businesses with wireless data speeds up to 10 times faster than currently available, allowing C Spire to be the first provider to make these services widely available in its footprint. The initial 37 markets receiving C Spire’s advanced 4G LTE network cover 2,700 square miles, a population of 1.2 million and 364 cell sites.
“C Spire’s amazingly-fast 4G LTE network allows for even greater personalization opportunities for our customers,” said Kevin Hankins, chief operating officer for C Spire Wireless. “Our 4G LTE network and our new 4G device offerings are enhancing our personalization tools and services, making the wireless experience at C Spire second to none.”
The company introduced several 4G devices along with its network deployment, including the Samsung Galaxy S III and Motorola PHOTONQ 4G LTE touchscreen smartphones, as well as the Franklin Wireless 4G LTE 2-in-1 Smart USB modem. C Spire also continued its trend of offering some of the industry’s most iconic devices with the launch earlier this year of the iPhone 5.
SCOUT
Another 2012 milestone for C Spire and its mission of wide adoption of personalized wireless services was the enhancement of SCOUT and the launch of SCOUT 3.0. Beginning as an app recommendation and personalization tool, C Spire expanded SCOUT’s capabilities earlier this year to provide movie, entertainment, music and book recommendations. Today, SCOUT is a one-of-a-kind entertainment recommendations app that has been downloaded by more than more than 134,000 individuals using Android devices, tablets, and the iPhone.
“SCOUT gets to know each consumer in a more intimate way and offers app and entertainment recommendations that match their interests and needs – providing content that is relevant, meaningful and more personalized for each customer,” Hays said. “No other wireless carrier is taking the time to really get to know each of their customers and offering them a unique personalized experience that is truly tailored just for them.”
PERCS
C Spire also spent this year enhancing the nation’s only consumer engagement program that rewards customers for personalizing their wireless experience. PERCS rewards wireless users for simply interacting with the company and doing things like sharing their views on the company’s community social forum, being a loyal customer and engaging in activities on their way to personalizing their wireless experience.
Since its inception, C Spire customers have taken full advantage of PERCS’ benefits, with more than 310,000 members, including more than 50,000 non-customers, earning more than 130 million PERC reward points. To date, customers have redeemed their Status PERC points for more than 260,000 individual rewards, including accessory discounts, exclusive deals and more. In addition to status PERC benefits, customers can also redeem points for items ranging from easier upgrades to Amazon.com gift cards.
The company also expanded the rewards program this year with the launch of PERCS with a Purpose, which gives reward members a chance to support some of their favorite charities. In an October promotion tied to breast cancer awareness and research, C Spire donated $20,000 to the American Cancer Society after reward program members shared 550,000 reward points.
CIRCLE
With more than 32,000 registered users and over 2 million cumulative views, CIRCLE has become the place where C Spire customers and non-customers go to openly share ideas, opinions, participate in unique contests and educational forums and truly interact with their wireless provider – becoming active participants in shaping and developing their own experience.
Using the unique social forum CIRCLE provides, C Spire has developed consumer-engagement programs on CIRCLE, including a wireless safety program, manufacturer and device forms and the CIRCLE Blitz college football series. CIRCLE and INNER CIRCLE members also helped the company beta test its new NEWSLINK service, provided valuable input on the latest version of SCOUT and played a key role in several recent enhancements to the cspire.com corporate website.
NEWSLINK
Earlier this year, C Spire expanded its suite of personalized services with the introduction of NEWSLINK, a fully integrated and personalized news delivery service that finds the news and information that is relevant to each individual and delivers it daily to users across devices. NEWSLINK customers receive a daily e-mail message featuring premium news and information content tailored just for them, which links them to various news sources around the state and nation. The service also gives customers PERC reward points when they click, comment or share about their experience using NEWSLINK.
“With personalized services like SCOUT, PERCS, CIRCLE and NEWSLINK, we’re interacting with customers in a more intimate and meaningful way. We’re asking the right questions, listening to our customers’ answers and then designing services that directly reflect and serve their unique needs,” Hankins said. “We’ve eliminated one-size-fits-all wireless and made it personal – the way it should be.”
SHARED DATA+ PLANS
C Spire recently became the first wireless provider in the U.S. to introduce new plans that allow customers to share data across multiple devices without the worry about surprise overages. The shared data plans, which feature unlimited talk, text and picture messaging, allow customers to share a single data allowance on up to 10 devices without costly fees to monitor data usage and avoid overages. The shared data plans build on the company’s Choice plan structure, giving individuals and families the flexibility and freedom to personalize their voice and data plans to meet their unique desires and needs.
ADDITIONAL 2012 HIGHLIGHTS
- C Spire Business Solutions – launched bundled wireless, HD Voice phone services and fixed-rate dedicated Internet access services for businesses. The company now provides a comprehensive suite of IP-based telecommunication services, including wireless, wired and Internet solutions to meet a wide range of business needs and challenges.
- New prototype stores – opened seven new state-of-the-art stores in Starkville, Olive Branch, Southaven, Yazoo City, Clinton, Brookhaven and Grenada that showcase C Spire’s personalized wireless services and advanced devices.
- Home Phone Connect – provides high-quality home phone service using the company’s personalized wireless network instead of a landline or broadband connection.
This year also marked the acceleration of smartphone adoption as consumers sought to personalize their devices, services and experiences using mobile technology, according to company officials and industry analysts.
C Spire’s focus on personalized services promises to reap even more dividends as research shows that consumers are searching for products, services and providers that are focused on their specific needs and desires. “As the wireless industry continues to consolidate and become more competitive, each carrier must find their special sauce,” said Jeff Kagan, an Atlanta-based wireless and telecommunications industry analyst. “With its brand change and focus on personalized services, C Spire is well positioned to outperform competitors.”
For more information about C Spire Wireless and its personalized wireless services, go to www.cspire.com.
About C Spire Wireless
C Spire Wireless is a diversified wireless communications company passionately committed to helping customers by personalizing wireless services designed just for them. The company is the first wireless provider in the U.S. to personalize customers’ experience by offering app, music, movie and book recommendations that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs, and rewards for using their phone in new ways – all with seamless ease and at amazingly fast speeds. This news release and other announcements are available at cspire For more information about C Spire Wireless and its products and services, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire, Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire or Google+.