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: andyabramson.blogs.com

For followers of companies like BlueSlice and a few others (client BridgePort Networks amongst them) this story about MVNO’s and FMC provides a useful viewpoint.

Source: gigaom.com

Source: voipcentral.org

The grapevine has it that Vonage is turning into Wireless Vonage. That means Vonage would be providing wireless services like to that of T-Mobiles HotSpot@ Home service.

There is no surprise to see Vonage offering Wireless services since it has been in tie up with EarthLink. Under the deal, it has been reselling WiFi services.

Now, Vonage has geared up to become a Mobile Virtual Operator (MVNO) during the end of 2007. It seems to be an interesting proposition!

Earlier this month, Vonage declared its fourth quarter result of 2006. The report was a grim reminder of the fact that company has failed to attract a substantial number of customers towards its VoIP services. For which, it conceded heavy loss despite aggressive marketing strategy.

The company plans to strength its position in the VoIP market by offering WiFi services. However, it is not as easy as it seems. The recognized players like ESPN, Helio and Ampd have failed miserably in the past in the WiFi business.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

MVNO’s are seeing slow growth according to a report from Strategy Analytics.

This is all a result of the continual "Me Too, Me Also" approach that the MVNO’s are taking, largely dictated by the host network operator’s on deck applictions set. The Off Deck market is where the action is, and the first MVNO to break ranks in a big way and move in to FMC will be the "Me Different" player.

I’m betting that’s either an unheard of or out of market play by someone like Vodafone or another "foreign" player who wants into the USA market for real.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Om waxes on about the hard times the MVNO’s are having. Well it’s their own doing mostly.

Right now there are something like 13 or so MVNOs either live or about to launch, and for the most part they all offer the same thing. Phone service and some customized content.

Helio is trying to offer some better phones, but that’s not what makes it really different. I mean, add a button, change the shape, but the phone is still a phone.

Where all these guys are missing it is with regard to the concept of Fixed Mobile Convergence and the ability to switch over to an IP network seamlessly. That means the data (i.e. the sports videos on ESPN, the kid video content on Disney, etc.) can be downloaded in the background at WiFi speeds, not on the anemic circuit switched 1XRTT or even somewhat sputtering EvDO that is currently out there on Verizon and Sprint, or the very pathetic EDGE from Cingular.

Add in that once you hop over to WiFi that current technology exists to let you keep your same number but receive and make calls over IP, and carriers would have the ability to sell broadband, plus a complete bundle of hardware and added minutes. One number. One device. Now wouldn’t that be Nirvana….

But as pal Tom Carter, the founder of BridgePort Networks says, "someone has to be the first to break ranks," something I agree with completely. Until that occurs the MVNO’s will still be offering only their own content, but not much else in the way of differentiation, other than who gets to bill the consumer.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

A hat trick reader told me about a new Los Angeles based MVNO about to come out of stealth mode named XeroMobile.

My source tells me they raised about 300 million dollars, mostly from Europe. They are a likely contender to Helio in the newcomer space and will more than likely want to be in the 3G/VoIP/WiFi space that Google, FON and Boingo are all playing in.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Earthlink is moving into the phone business in a big way, but with a ubiquitous stratey behind it.

Between their VoIP business that already have with Vonage and future expansion that is already being planned with SK-Earthlink to create the next generation of wireless carrier.

I did a briefing last week and walked away impressed. Earthlink already has a penchant for innovation. Their relationships are very solid and they already are seeing value in working with cutting edge companies like SK-Telecom. But most of all they have great customer loyalty and customer service.

What is also clear is that other MVNO’s will appear on the landscape here in the USA beyond Virgin and Boost. ESPN, SK-Earthlink and Time Warner, are all working with Sprint/Nextel and Verizon. That means, the MVNO’s in the USA are all CDMA. AT&T which was working with Sprint, pulled back due to the impending merger with SBC was also going that route. All this spells good news for Qualcomm.

All of that said, Earthlink comes out of the gate looking like a winner, especially since it sounds like they will be working on WiFi phone capabilities, but blending it with CDMA handsets.

That means one carrier, delivering all your voice and data services, wired, wireless and mobile. Don’t be surprised if Boingo, another Sky Dayton company gets bought by Earthlink one day, or in the end, the whole business gets bought by Sprint.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

I meant to blog this earlier. The implication of this on VoIP are many fold. For example, with a VoIP connection over the digital side of the data network many newer applications become available to users on wireless (i.e. cellular) networks.

The big key is will the carrier start playing with things like port blocking?

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Long thought of as just a dial up player with borrowed infrastructure, the boys from Atlanta last year quietly launched a VoIP service called Unlimited Voice.

Like so much of Earthlinks product portfolio the service comes from other companies, with this service coming reportedly from Vonage. When you add in that Eartlink private labels wireless service from both Sprint and Verizon and is reportedly in talks to offer a GSM flavor you have to see that Voice is a big part of their model which is geared to being the supplier of voice and data on one bill.

If you also look at the triangle between Sprint, Earthlink and Boingo one sees additional connections possible.

I think it’s important to keep an eye on Earthlink in the VoIP space. They have the individual parts, the only question is can they bring them all together. I think they can.