Is it time to subscribe to a printer service from HP?

Ever since my dad brought home an...

What’s the best way of buying a phone today?

How did you buy your latest phone?...

MWC: What device highlights did you miss?

So, early last week I predicted that...

That MVNO? Don’t worry, it’s been shelved

Remember I blogged on an MVNO that was about to hit the marketplace?

Link: SMS Text News » Another MVNO for the UK on the horizon? Oh PLEASE SAVE ME

I’ve heard four specific rumours — one from a highly placed person in a mobile operator — indicating that there’s a new MVNO heading this way with, frankly, a ridiculous proposition. I don’t know how in the world they’re going to sell it to anyone but a granny, her husband and their dog

Well, I got some very good gossip about this one.

I was pulled. Aye. Obviously. Why anyone was even CONSIDERING it, I don’t know.

The rumour was it was T-Mobile as the provider. The further rumour was that they pulled the deal 5 minutes before signing. Gosh.

That’s an arse, eh? The MVNO was intended as a long distance replacement for the phone card market.

More rumours? The comanies participating: IDT, BNS Telecom, Lycratel, Libertel. (One of which is reportedly distraught, after paying 9 months wages to a full team). Well, I would be distraught too — at blowing all that money.

Total arse for those involved. Although, you have to wonder, WHO sat in front of them, originally, and reckoned this was a good idea in the first place? The market is JAM packed in the UK. Any such MVNO would have to fight — and spend shitloads — just to rise above the general noise created by the big five.

4 COMMENTS

  1. Do you realise how big the calling market is in the UK? It’s huge… and whilst yes, it’s abviously shrinking as things like Skype etc grow, it’s still going to be there for a long while.

    If they pulled it, i’d say it’s because of forces separate to them thinking they’d not have a market big enough…

  2. I think the international calling market is still huge, sure. I don’t think it would support an MVNO though. 😐

  3. don’t be so sure 😉 Ultimately and depending on how you go about creating your MVNO, you needn’t have millions of subscribers to do well. Critical mass could easily be in the hundreds of thousands…

    watch this space…. (all i can say for now)

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Recently Published

Is it time to subscribe to a printer service from HP?

Ever since my dad brought home an HP LaserJet printer (version 3, if memory serves), I have been printing with an HP. Over the...

What’s the best way of buying a phone today?

How did you buy your latest phone? I'm asking because I'm thinking about what I should be doing. When I was living in Oman, I...

MWC: What device highlights did you miss?

So, early last week I predicted that next to nothing from Mobile World Congress would break through into the mainstream media. I was right,...

How Wireless Will Pave the Path to Neobank Profitability

I'm delighted to bring you an opinion piece from Rafa Plantier at Gigs.com. I think it's particularly relevant given the recent eSIM news from...

An end of an era: Vodafone UK turns off 3G services

I thought it was worthwhile highlighting this one from the Vodafone UK team. For so long - for what feels like years, seeing the...

Mobile World Congress: Did the mainstream media notice?

I resolved this year to make sure I wrote something - anything - about Mobile World Congress, the huge mobile industry trade show taking...