MVNO

Blyk marches on

Paul Rasmussen — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:38:58 -0400

One year after it launched, the CEO of Blyk, the UK ad-funded MVNO, has announced that the company had signed up 200,000 users by early September 2008--double its initial target for its first 12 months of operation. However, by proving mobile advertising can attract users, Blyk is goading the much larger MNOs to move towards mobile advertising. Article

Virgin signs six year extension with T-Mobile

Paul Rasmussen — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:18:45 -0400

The UK-based MVNO, Virgin Mobile, will launch HSPA-based services later this year following a renegotiation of its wholesale deal with T-Mobile. Virgin, which had been hampered by its inability to offer 3G handsets and services, had been in discussions with other operators but is now believed to have secured better terms with a new six-year deal with its existing partner T-Mobile.

While the two companies have had bitter disagreements in the past, T-Mobile would appear to have been keen to retain Virgin as an MVNO given the growing interest by other network operators to form similar partnerships. However, Virgin would have had a nightmare in switching to another network, which would have entailed all their existing customers changing their SIM cards.

The inclusion of HSPA will enable Virgin to compete with other mobile broadband offerings, including 3G dongles on prepay tariffs.

For more on this story:
- go to Mobile Today

Related articles:
Virgin's French MVNO operation on track. Virgin France story
Vodafone stymies Virgin Mobile's Indian venture. Vodafone story

iPhone boosts data 30x for T-Mobile Germany

Thu, 22 May 2008 06:59:57 -0400

Speaking at Deutsche Telekom's AGM, the CEO, Rene Obermann, let slip that the iPhone had done wonders to T-Mobile Germany's data traffic. Obermann revealed that German iPhone customers use mobile internet services thirty times more than other cell phone subscribers, while one third of all T-Mobile iPhone customers have chosen the most expensive plan.

This level of success perhaps prompted T-Mobile's CEO, Hamid Akhavan, to state that the company expected to remain the sole seller of the handset in Germany. "We have a very good relationship with Apple... at least in Germany it is exclusive, and we expect it to remain as such," he said. 'If and when there is a 3G iPhone we expect to have it exclusively in Germany as well," he added.

While T-Mobile is reported to have sold over 100,000 iPhones since last November, Apple has recently started to make deals with more than one operator in all the major European countries, with the exception of Germany.

For more on this story:
-read Phones Review and i4u.com

Related stories:
iPhone patents forecast GPS, games...and an MVNO? 3G iPhone story

Early success for ad-funded mobile network

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

Blyk, Europe's first ad-funded mobile network, signed up 100,000 U.K. customers in its first six months of operation. An MVNO utilising the Orange network, Blyk offers free calls and texts to 16 to 24 year-olds willing to receive six targeted advertising texts or pictures every day. The rapid uptake of its service has meant that Blyk reached its first year target in six months.

For more information:
- go to Silicon News and Mobile Europe

Ad-supported MVNO ahead of user target

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:59:54 -0400

With over 100,000 signed-up members to its MVNO service, U.K.-based Blyk is claiming to be six months ahead of schedule since it launched in September 2007. The company says that the ad campaigns that fund the service--Blyk gives its customers free texts and minutes every month in return for receiving up to six advertising messages per day--have generated industry leading average response rates approaching 30 per cent.

According to Shaun Gregory, CEO, in the first six months Blyk had built up a deep knowledge of its users which has now exceeded many established youth media players. "Young people have embraced Blyk because it makes phone bills and contracts a thing of the past. We believe that communication should be free, like most other forms of media in the U.K." Blyk plans to launch in the Netherlands in the second half of 2008 followed by other European markets and has recently attracted new investors Goldman Sachs and Industrial and Financial Investments Company.

For more on this story:
- read Cellular News

Related stories:
Ad-supported MVNO Blyk premieres in UK. Blyk article
Ex-Nokia president launching ad-funded MVNO. Blyk article

ALSO NOTED: Orange launches e-paper based newspaper reader; KPN Mobile, BASE make joint bid for Belgacom unit Win; and much mor

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Orange launches e-paper based newspaper reader. Article

> MTS: Not to be ignored. Article

And finally...Vodafone bails out defunct MVNO Dot Mobile. Article

Saudi operator in talks to acquire European MVNO

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Having already invested US$300 million in mobile operators in Africa, the Saudi cell phone company, HITS Telecom, is now reported as being in negotiations to purchase a majority holding in an existing European MVNO. The company said it would use this acquisition--without naming the MVNO, as its launch platform to enter other European markets.

HITS Telecom has also revealed that it plans to expand its operations in Africa--it currently has holdings in Tanzania, Liberia, Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and build up its Latin American business outside of its present Brazilian company.

HITS Telecom said it would raise US$300 million within the next few months by selling a stake in its African unit to private equity investors.

For more on this story:
- read itp.net

Saudi operator in talks to acquire European MVNO

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

HITS Telecom said it would raise US$300 million within the next few months by selling a stake in its African unit to private equity investors.

For more on this story:
- read itp.net

Freenet on acquisition trail, could trigger German consolidation

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:55 -0400

If Freenet's rumoured takeover of its rival Debitel goes ahead, the new combined company would immediately become the third largest mobile operator in Germany with around 20 million customers. T-Mobile had 35 million customers in Germany and Vodafone had 34 million as of the end of 2007.

This move is seen as a much needed consolidation in a country that has a fiercely competitive and overpopulated mobile market, and would see Freenet selling off the DSL broadband business and focus solely on mobile communications.

According to the German Manager Magazine, Freenet is looking to purchase Debitel for between €1.4 billion and €1.5 billion, although industry analysts do not consider this a bargain price. However, the actual impact of a merger would largely depend on the ability of the combined company to generate synergies, which are estimated to be worth up to €100 million.

For more on this story:
- read Forbes

ALSO NOTED: Vivendi wants nearly €2bn from Poland mobile operator; Spanish MVNO fonyou.com aims for 2008 launch; and much

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 07:59:50 -0400

>Vivendi wants nearly €2bn from Poland mobile operator. Article

> Spanish MVNO fonyou.com aims for 2008 launch. Article

And finally...Phone loss equals social catastrophe, claims operator. Article