Three to host RWG Mobile as first MVNO dedicated to Wales

RWG Mobile is to become the first mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) dedicated purely to people who live and work in Wales when it launches on Jul. 18.

According to Mobile Marketing Magazine, RWG -- whose initials stand for red, white, green (the colours of the Welsh flag) -- will be hosted on the Three UK network and powered by Three's mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA), x-Mobility.

The founder of RWG Mobile is Andrew Davies, who has experience of launching and running telecoms businesses in the UK, Europe and the U.S. and now wants to turn his attention to Wales.

Davies has big ambitions for the service, which will be launched initially as an app that can be downloaded to both Apple and Android smartphones and tablets and then followed by a SIM-based product at a later date.

"If you think of a European country you will be able to easily identify its mobile network, like France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom or Eircom. No other country in the UK has its own mobile network, so we set out to create a communications provider that reflects and understands the needs of the Welsh population," he said, according to Business News Wales.

He added that RWG Mobile is the first network in the UK that has been designed and developed to meet the needs of an entire nation "and that's what makes the project so exciting."

On its blog, RWG Mobile claims that the Welsh telecoms market "is served by under-resourced local businesses or large mobile network operators ignorant to the cultural differences that the Welsh population represents."

The company added: "At the current time 16 per cent of mobile phone users in Wales claim to be fairly or very dissatisfied with their mobile network and the main reasons for this are due to Internet speeds, rewards or special offers and customer service."

Key features of the service will include the option of up to five separate mobile numbers on one smartphone; Wi-Fi calling; access to 3G and 4G networks; Welsh or English language services; and low-cost international calling rates.

For more:
- see this Mobile Marketing Magazine article
- see this Business News Wales article

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