Examining customers’ intention to switch to prepaid mobile phone service providers in northern Malaysia

The Malaysian telecommunication industry is becoming more competitive allowing mobile phone subscribers expose to a broader choice of service providers. However, there are limited studies on the factors influencing customers' intention to switch to prepaid mobile phone services in the Malaysian telecommunication industry. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between price, satisfaction, alternative attractiveness, switching cost, mobile number portability-induced self-efficacy, and customer intention to switch service provider. The moderating role of mooring factors (switching cost and mobile number portability-induced self-efficacy) between push factors and customer intention to switch service provider and pull factors and the intention to switch service provider is also examined. The underpinning theory used in this study was Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) Model. Data were collected using a proportional stratified sampling technique among 339 students from six public universities in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. This study used intercept survey method as a data collection method. Data were analyzed using the partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. The results found that price, alternative attractiveness, and mobile number portability-induced self-efficacy positively influence intention to switch service provider, whereas satisfaction and switching cost negatively impact intention to switch service provider. However, mooring factors (switching cost and mobile number portability-induced self-efficacy) do not moderate the relationship between push factors and intention to switch service provider and pull factors and intention to switch service provider. This study has extended the findings on switching behavior from Malaysia's telecommunication industry, particularly the prepaid market segment, and Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) model from the Malaysian context. The suggestions for future research are also discussed.