Russian telecom operators will start renting smartphones.
Telecom operators MTS and Megafon will start leasing smartphones, according to Kommersant.
MTS has launched a pilot program in Moscow and Moscow region. One can rent the latest generation iPhones: XR, 11, 12, and 13. The experiment will be conducted for six months, and then the decision will be made whether it is necessary to extend the service throughout the country. The client will not be held liable for scuffs and minor scratches that occur during use.
The company plans that the service will be in demand among “young people who are not currently interested in loans and permanent commitments,” as well as those who want to test the device before buying.
Another operator, Megafon, does not plan to limit the range of devices available for rent, and the service will be available in all regions of Russia. This was announced by Vladimir Skurikhin, general director of Megafon Retail. The service will be presented “shortly.”
Tele2 does not consider the smartphone sharing service as expedient for its business. VimpelCom (Beeline brand) stated that the company has no such service in retail.
Mobile Research Group analyst Eldar Murtazin told Kommersant that renting is not profitable for users. Having paid almost the total price of a smartphone for a year, they will not get it in their possession. The expert admits that the service will be used to test the device, but, according to his estimation, there will not be many people willing.
In Russia, a new record was set in sales of the iPhone in the first week of their release. In just seven days, about 93,000 iPhones of 13 different modifications were sold, writes RBC.
“None of the previous models of the last generation had such high figures. Last year during the same period, there were 57 thousand registrations of iPhone 12 of different types,” Maxim Voevodsky, director of products and analytics at oneFactor, told the publication.
