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We keep hearing about grocery store MVNOs — namely Hy-Vee and H-E-B. And since I haven’t heard word of them shutting down, it appears that they may be onto something. Another one has reared its head: Meijer, a Midwest chain with 181 supercenters in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.

Posted in MVNO on May 8th, 2008
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iLocus conducted a survey of MVNOs to find out which ones were mulling mobile VoIP options. For those unfamiliar, VoIP — voice over Internet protocol — allows you to make voice calls over an Internet connection. While Skype is one of the most recognizable names in VoIP, many major cable companies, including Cablevision, Comcast, and Verizon, offer voice services which are a beefed up VoIP. So it turns out that nearly a quarter of MVNOs are offering or trialling mobile VoIP services, and over two thirds plan to have the service in place by 2010.

Posted in MVNO on May 7th, 2008
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I was just thinking the other day: What happened to the Qwest deal? The MVNO has been looking for a better carrier agreement since late February. We’ve heard that they talked to Verizon, as well as AT&T. They have ended up with the most sensible option, Verizon, in a five-year agreement which will begin this summer. The catch is that they might not really be an MVNO anymore.

Posted in MVNO on May 6th, 2008
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Last year, UK-based MVNO Blyk announced that they would offer free cellphone service to people aged 16 to 24. At the time, I lamented how that wouldn’t fly in the U.S., though Google has brought up the notion of an ad-supported service of some sort. The only catch is that you get just 43 minutes per month, with 217 text messages to go along. Well, they just announced their 100,000th customer.

Posted in MVNO on April 25th, 2008
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We thought we were seeing the death of another MVNO earlier this month, as Movida, an Hispanic-market service, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At that point, as it usually is at the beginning of such proceedings, it was unclear whether Movida would emerge, or if it would collapse. It has emerged, as Maryland-based APC Wireless has agreed to buy the company.

Posted in MVNO on April 22nd, 2008
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So it turns out that reports of MVNO Sonopia’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Well, maybe not greatly, but they certainly aren’t true, according to founder Juha Christensen. Instead, they’re just cutting nearly every cost in a hibernation-like move. Once the U.S. market warms up to MVNOs — which could be years — then Christensen will head back into business.

Posted in MVNO on April 11th, 2008
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I really wish they had done this. If they had, I likely would be an iPhone user right now. In a recently-published patent filing, Apple reveals that the had planned to launch the iPhone on an MVNO. Their own MVNO, that is. Like Tracfone, it would have drawn service from all participating providers, allowing a greater level of coverage across the country. I’m not sure why this plan wasn’t executed. It could have been a number of reasons, ranging from pure financial to disdain from carriers. But it sounds like it would have been an efficient offering.

Posted in MVNO on April 10th, 2008
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With all of the MVNOs that have died recently, you’d think it’s an unsustainable business model. And maybe it is at this point. Another one has laid off its staff and closed its doors: Sonopia, a carrier which helped organizations open their own mini networks. The problem was the same as many of the other MVNOs we’ve seen shut down over the past year: Lack of subscribers. While niches can sometimes provide targeted and enthusiastic markets, it appears Sonopia was too niched.

Posted in MVNO on April 9th, 2008
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Weren’t we just talking about MVNOs? While Richard Branson thinks Virgin Mobile is strong, not all MVNOs can say the same. Movida, an Hispanic-market MVNO which launched in 2005, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It’s largest debt is $15.9 million, owed to Sprint Nextel.

Posted in MVNO on April 2nd, 2008
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In what might be a move to increase their leverage, Qwest Wireless is in talks with AT&T to forge a new MVNO relationship. They currently have an agreement with Sprint, but are unhappy with the arrangement there. Sprint has its own problems, so going out of their way to broker a new deal with Qwest likely isn’t atop their priority list. So the MVNO is looking to take its 800,000-plus customers elsewhere. It was confirmed that Qwest held talks with Verizon. No resolution has been made yet, but CEO Ed Mueller says he’ll make a decision “soon”.

Posted in MVNO on March 10th, 2008
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