Virtual Networks success

[3gman]

What is the key to success of a MVNO, is it marketing, brand name, products & services...

[3g-g]

All of the above! :)

[Ben]

Until now a lot of it seems to have come down to brand, and price. Tesco, Virgin, Fresh etc. Brand and price.

However, we now have a new breed of virtual arriving. Virgin now gives Virgin Media quad-play, so they can do that £30-for-the-lot offer. There's also that new one, name evades me, that will be funded by advertising - taking MVNO's into new territory. There's also a new one that'll carry its traffic, once off the mobile network, via VoIP - giving great international call rates. Now that's showing some spunk!

[3g-g]

There's also that new one, name evades me, that will be funded by advertising - taking MVNO's into new territory.

Blyk is the name you're after!

I also saw one at the airport the other day, Cherry mobile, for taking abroad instead of your own SIM, good international call rates I believe, I only noticed it as I was running to my gate!

[solo12002]

Oh well as long as you din't lose your cherry while running!

[3gman]

Are there any 3g MVNO or for now it is all 2g services?

[Ben]

I believe Virgin customers can pick up 3G signal on compatible phones? Not certain, though.

[Hands0n]

Blyk says stuff --> http://about.blyk.com/about/

Not sure they're barking quite up the right tree here...... Young does not = money, as has been shown by any number of studies.

I feel a Rabbit coming on :D

[3g-g]

Possibly, but you know the kids will take the free calls and put up with the advertising, even if they're not spending or clicking through!

Slightly OT here...

There's a website I use to download single dance tracks, a legit one mind, and each song is £1.25, I can then put them on my SE as ringtones. Now why would I want to pay £3.50 for 10 seconds of mid-track for a ringtone from anyone else?! Just something I was wondering the other day! :)

[Hands0n]

And ..... if you really want to get clever with it .... you can always use Garage Band to edit out the mid-track bit that you want as a specific ringtone. :)

I tend to do just that with a few of my fave tracks (or appropriate to whomever I want to associate it to).

Back to the subject - I think they kids will indeed take it up, but if the spending or click-through is not happening the advertising sponsorships will dry up. Perhaps they're targetting the young thinking they'll put up with the intrusiveness of the advertising. I remain to be convinced. But then I don't fit their target market so maybe I'm well off the mark ;)

An interesting one to watch .. And if they actually make it work :eek: the regular ops will be a tad upset :D

[solo12002]

Yes Virgin has 3g, only thing is their offerings are crap, no good wap sites never mind 3G, f knows why they dint just use t zones

[3gman]

Looks like it is taking companies 10 years to bring the "3g to the markets", I remember in 2000 was a lot of talk about it, now it is 2007 and in a lot of countries no commercial networks yet, only a few pilot projects...I think in Latin America there is no commercial 3g Network yet at all...I wonder is it a cost or just operators do not see the demand and do not want to spend any money on it...

[solo12002]

I agree for info ASDA Mobile which runs on the vodafone network offers 3G from dayone, Im currently using it.

No Daily PAYG Data yet which is a shame as I cant get t-mobile 3G in most of NI:

www.asda-mobile.com