Vital statistics

We might think we all know our vital statistics - conveniently, often provided for us by the cellcos themselves - but how do we know they are accurate, or that they are the right measures to tell us how healthy the cellcos´ businesses are? How can we identify the characteristics of a healthy wireless business and what the next-generation key performance indicators will be? The answer is, of course, all down to vital statistics: each time a new phone is switched on, or a call made with a new SIM card, Vodafone can register a new customer acquisition and keep them on its figures for three months even if the phone or SIM card is only used once. This provides a temporary boost to subscriber numbers, and the company may also hope that some of these accounts will remain active.