Source: goebel.net

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The British phone company easyMobile is back, 18 months after it had to shut down. But this time the brand name doesn’t stand for a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). The Greek serial entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou, also founder of the airline easyJet and other successful low cost product ventures, has changed the business model entirely and doesn’t comply with his former announcement about the future of easyMobile.

Exactly one year ago Stelios told me that he wanted to resuscitate the company as MVNO with free phone calls, sponsored by advertising. A similar business was already in the making under the name of Blyk, a UK based start-up by the former president of Nokia Corporation, Pekka Ala-Pietil. It launched some months later but it seems that Blyk hasn’t conviced Stelios, because the new easyMobile is nothing more than a new face for the Swedish VoIP company Rebtel. The press release says:

Rebtel, the people’s global communications company, today announced a brand licensing agreement with easyGroup that will allow Rebtel to increase its presence in the UK and reach new markets for its mobile VoIP services.

easyGroup is the business of easyJet founder and serial entrepreneur Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

Under the agreement, Rebtel-powered services for making low cost international phone calls from any mobile phone, over any UK network, will be sold and marketed on easyGroup’s http://www.easyMobile.com web site.

Rebtel’s CEO Hjalmar Windbladh sounds very enthusiastic. "Sir Stelios and easyGroup are our kind of partners", he says. "They want to make a difference in people’s lives. They offer services for the many, not the few. They take on the big boys in the market and treasure relentless innovation. And most importantly they’re open and honest. Those are all values that Rebtel was built on."

Hopefully his cooperation lasts longer than the former easyMobile. Stelios is a genius in lending his brand name, but he also tends to end franchising very fast. The first easyMobile was planned as pan European MVNO in 12 countries. The Danish operator TDC licensed the brand from Stelios’ easyGroup but things didn’t turn out so well. TDC got bought and changed their business strategy which made Stelios retract the brandname. In just 48 hours the German branch had to change its name into callmobile. You always have to be cautious that the franchisees don’t damage your established brand name, Stelios said in our interview.

Hjalmar be careful!

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

After complaining about Ads prompted to user after listening to a conversation over VoIP it’s users got for free, I see that another service based on advertisements have come to be alive. Blyk today announced the it’s ad funded mobile network mainly targeted towards 16-24 year olds. The service is currently a invitation only and limited to United Kingdom. But it plans to go pan-European during 2008 with the potential to reach over 40 million young consumers.

Invitations to join Blyk will be sent out over the next few weeks via channels targeted to reach 16-24 year olds.

Blyk has built a service around what young people want and need – free communication, ease of use and relevant messages from brands. Blyk has developed its offer by finding out what its members consider most valuable – this will evolve over time as their needs do.
Blyk allows advertisers to reach young people using the only channel that they carry with them everywhere. They can engage them in a dialogue, one that they are uniquely ready for, because they’ve opted in.
Blyk’s advertising products are based on the most dominant pattern of mobile behaviour among 16-24 year old consumers: getting a message and responding to it. Its offerings create awareness, build relationships and drive sales.

Following is the press release issued by the company. is also available on the blog of Blyk.

The world’s first advertising funded mobile network for 16-24 year olds launches in the UK
London, 24 September, 2007 - Blyk, the new mobile network for 16 to 24 year olds today announced the launch of its UK service. The announcement was made by the company founders Pekka Ala-Pietilä and Antti Öhrling at a press launch event in London this morning.
Blyk is an invitation-only mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that links young people with brands they like and gives them free texts and minutes every month.
For brands, Blyk is an innovative, new media channel, providing direct access to the 16-24 year old market; enabling them to create awareness, build relationships and drive sales to this hard to reach audience.
Since its conception early last year, Blyk has been undertaking extensive research in the UK with user group studies and live user trials. These have helped to make the offering extremely compelling for young people and advertisers alike.
Pekka Ala-Pietilä said: “We have spent the last year developing a unique, robust advertising content engine and whilst the technology we are using is incredibly advanced, the main premise of Blyk is driven by 3 basic principles – ease of use, interaction and relevance of the communications.”
Blyk understands the importance of relevancy in communication and has built its system to enable this. By means of profile questions at sign-up and ongoing SMS polling during membership Blyk Media enables brands to target messages like no other medium. Response rates have also been exceptionally high, with some testers reportedly missing the service at the end of the trial.
Further to this Öhrling said: “We found that what is 90% familiar and 10% new leads to the best user experience. So, the Blyk communications formats are based on the most dominant and most familiar pattern among 16-24s: Getting a message and responding to it. Both picture and text.”
Brands will be able to engage Blyk members in question/response type interactions. For members these interactions are free. For advertisers all responses and interactions by members are tracked, giving great accountability to the campaign.
“We found throughout our research that this simple, familiar type of interaction leads to tremendous response rates. “ says Öhrling.
Speaking at the network’s launch in London today, Pekka Ala-Pietilä said:
“Our free offer is 217 texts and 43 minutes every month and this could mean no more phone bills for up to 4.5 million young people in the UK - with no contract. We have the brands that want to speak to them too, with more than 40 already signed up for the launch. This group represents almost every industry sector there is.”
“It’s going to spread because, at the heart of it, it’s got a creative idea. A mobile phone network that’s funded by advertising; that’s something you want to tell people about. Fundamentally it’s the interaction that young people do most on their mobile phone: receiving and responding to a message.” says Antti Öhrling.
About Blyk
Blyk is the new mobile network for 16 – 24s that’s funded by advertising. Blyk links young people with brands they like and gives them free texts and minutes every month. Blyk was co-founded in 2006 by Pekka Ala-Pietilä and Antti Öhrling and has offices in Helsinki, Finland and London, UK. Blyk is now operating in the UK, with other European markets to follow.

For more information, visit about.blyk.com.

Source: gigaom.com

Source: voipcentral.org

In the world of mobile telephony, there are new offers and systems coming in at the rate of dozen per second.

Now a company is on the way to offer free mobile calls to its customers on a unified network. And the revenue will be generated through mobile advertising.

The European company Blyk, founded by a former Nokia president, is similar to the Skype system and is expected to start the Europe-wide operation this year.

The company aims to target the young generation which is always connected to the mobile. Blyk’s step in this direction is expected to generate a favourable response.

Free is welcome anytime. And free calls are more than enough to lure the young generation.

Source.