Consumers had to buy a mobile phone and also subcribe to a system in order to use the mobile medium. The mobile phone was a one-time purchase, but the subscription would extend for the period of contract. The two were commonly bundle together as a promotional package to attract consumers. The bundle was usually provided the network operator who was the retail face of handsets to the customer. A lock-in operator would buy phones in bulk from handset makers at a discount and offer a package, at a bargain price, to the end-user