Tag Archives: MobileVirtualNetworkOperator

The People’s Operator launches in the UK — a charitable MVNO for data haters

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The People's Operator launches in the UK a charitable MVNO for data haters

Another mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) has joined the fray in the UK today -- The People's Operator (TPO). The main hook of this entrant is relatively low calling and text costs, and with 25% of the company's profits going to its own charitable foundation, you know all that nattering is doing some good (you can also assign 10% of your monthly spend to a specific cause). You should get decent coverage piggybacking on EE's towers, and it's expected to share its new 4G network with TPO in the future. The MVNO doesn't really cater to those who like their data, however, as the current cost is a flat 12.5p per MB, and the pay-as-you-go bundles launching in December don't come much cheaper (£17.50 per month for a 500MB allowance). That may well put off smartphone users, as several other carriers like Three and giffgaff offer unlimited data at similar prices. Pay monthly contracts and handsets are coming soon, but at the moment, TPO is a PAYG, SIM-only provider. If the combination of cheap calls and charity has sparked your interest, head over to the source link to learn more.

Continue reading The People's Operator launches in the UK -- a charitable MVNO for data haters

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The People's Operator launches in the UK -- a charitable MVNO for data haters originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Nov 2012 05:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Solavei MVNO will pay you when your friends sign up, $49 a month all-in for those without any

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Unlike regular mobile networks, virtual operators -- or MVNOs -- have none of those expensive cellular infrastructures to worry about. Newcomer, Solavei, (which rides atop T-Mobile) is using this freedom to focus in on its business model. Just out of beta, the provider is offering unlimited voice, text and data for $49 per month, or free. Free? Well, if you're silver-tongued enough to talk friends and family into signing up, too, you'll get $20 kickback a month for every three -- or "trio" as the marketing calls it -- that you convince. There are other bonuses and chances to earn money -- all obviously aimed at spreading the network's audience, and offsetting the lower overheads. You can also use your own unlocked phone, or buy one of the three that Solavei currently offers (HTC One X, Wildfire S and ZTE Origin). This isn't the first time we've seen such philanthropic approaches, and it might smack a little bit of MLM, but if your after an all-you-can eat mobile deal, and have a large group of friends, this could be a nice little earner. Still not sold? Perhaps the feel-good corporate video after the break will switch that up.

Continue reading Solavei MVNO will pay you when your friends sign up, $49 a month all-in for those without any

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Solavei MVNO will pay you when your friends sign up, $49 a month all-in for those without any originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 06:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TmoNews  |  sourceSolavei  | Email this | Comments

Ting becomes first US MVNO to hop the Galaxy S III bandwagon, outlines its device roadmap

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Samsung Galaxy S III Sprint marble white

Ting has drawn a lot of attention among MVNOs for its unique mix-and-match approach to contract-free plans, but it's had to contend with some rather middling phones inherited from its network partner Sprint. That gap in high-end phones will narrow before the summer's up: Ting plans to carry the Galaxy S III within three to six weeks, becoming the first virtual carrier in the US to tout Samsung's flagship. Its version is identical to the Sprint model and will even cost $20 less when you skip Sprint's two-year term, at $529 for a 16GB edition and $579 for its 32GB cousin. If that doesn't satisfy the appetite, Ting is also giving a peek at its menu for the months ahead. Along with adopting LTE this year to make that Galaxy S III hum, the carrier expects to bring in a more moderately-priced LTE phone, a hotspot, an accessible phone and a budget slider. We wouldn't base any carrier switches around an iPhone or Windows Phone option, though. There's only "some progress" coaxing a deal out of Apple, and a Windows Phone is most likely to wait until the first quarter of 2013.

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Ting becomes first US MVNO to hop the Galaxy S III bandwagon, outlines its device roadmap originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FreedomPop jumping from WiMAX to LTE by year’s end, iPhone sleeves intact

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Followers of FreedomPop's saga have seen the fledgling data-only provider make a few audacious claims: providing free bandwidth, for one, and basing its 4G device lineup as much on iPhone sleeve cases as on traditional access points. Add another one to the list -- the MVNO is planning to switch from Clearwire's WiMAX network to Sprint's LTE before 2012 is over. While FreedomPop is still planning to go forward with WiMAX for the initial deployment, it's now looking to use tri-mode EV-DO, LTE and WiMAX modems and phone cases just months later. We'll see if that leads to existing iPhone 4 and 4S owners getting an LTE fix without having to spring for a new phone; marketing VP Tony Miller wouldn't tell GigaOM more. Either way, it's a mixed blessing for data addicts that might find themselves crashing that much faster through the 500MB regular cap on free data.

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FreedomPop jumping from WiMAX to LTE by year's end, iPhone sleeves intact originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon offers prepaid 4G LTE data in Japan, gets you online 500MB at a time

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Amazon has decided that offering 3G-capable Kindles isn't enough of an involvement in the cellular world -- it's now getting into the business of offering the bits themselves. Through a tie-up with NTT DoCoMo-using MVNO Japan Communications, Amazon is selling prepaid SIM cards for LTE data. Each slice of plastic and circuitry will provide a 500MB block of sweet, sweet 4G for ¥1,980 ($25). There's a very good chance we'd burn through that in a day, but it'll let you get an NTT DoCoMo-ready smartphone or Arrows Tab online in a pinch. The Japanese can snap up the cards later in the month, while those of us in the US will just have to hope that Amazon can make a similar (if hopefully cheaper) deal closer to home.

Amazon offers prepaid 4G LTE data in Japan, gets you online 500MB at a time originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 May 2012 21:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  sourceNikkei (subscription required)  | Email this | Comments

GameStop Mobile launches as AT&T virtual carrier, gives us rare bring-your-own GSM in US (update)

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Here's an expansion of mobile competition in the US that comes out of left field, even for us: GameStop as a cellular provider. GameStop Mobile, as it's called, is that rare bird of an AT&T-based MVNO that relies on a bring-your-own-device strategy. As long as your hardware works on AT&T's 850MHz and 1,900MHz bands and isn't locked to another carrier, you can bring any GSM- and HSPA-based phone (or data-only device) and use it contract-free: rates start at anything from a strictly pay-as-you-go $5 through to a $55 monthly plan with unlimited voice and text, if just an anemic 500MB of data. Tablet owners and other data-only fans can pay the same $55 for 1GB per month -- a bit stiff considering that those on AT&T proper can get 5GB of data for slightly less. No doubt this is to take advantage of iPad and iPhone trade-ins, PlayStation Vitas and the overall rise of unlocked devices. We're just wondering whether GameStop will catch a few customers subscribing as they pick up their Diablo III pre-orders or else face the uncertain future that befalls many MVNOs.

Update: As our friends at Joystiq have pointed out, the GameStop Mobile website is no longer publicly accessible. Looks like someone may have pulled the switch a bit too earlier.

GameStop Mobile launches as AT&T virtual carrier, gives us rare bring-your-own GSM in US (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New carrier Voyager Mobile starts May 15th, promises rewards for chatting it up

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Competition among US cellular carriers is about to get a bit fiercer with a fresh national network that will actively encourage using your phone rather than setting hard limits. Newcomer (and MVNO on Sprint's network) Voyager Mobile is teasing a "frequent talker program" that will give all kinds of perks for the more talkative among us: call your Aunt Ruth a lot and you'll get phone upgrades, free months of service and smaller nice-to-haves like air mileage and gift cards. That's helped by Voyager starting off at $19 a month for unlimited voice, although picking a smartphone in the early catalog will hike that to a still rather thrifty $39 for all-unlimited voice, text and WiMAX data. If you're tempted by the price and don't mind an early phone roster that focuses on mostly Android-based carryovers like the LG Optimus S, Motorola XPRT or Samsung's Conquer 4G and Epic 4G Touch, Voyager will swing the virtual doors open for some states (with more to follow) when its countdown expires on May 15th.

Continue reading New carrier Voyager Mobile starts May 15th, promises rewards for chatting it up

New carrier Voyager Mobile starts May 15th, promises rewards for chatting it up originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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