MuniWireless

Blyk, the European MVNO targeting 16-to-24 year olds, has raised 40 million EUR in a third round of funding. I’ve written about Blyk’s unusual business model — free phone calls and text messages in exchange for viewing MMS and SMS advertising. While it might sound like “free WiFi in exchange for ads”, there’s a big difference. Blyk is using existing networks, not building its own, by buying wholesale capacity from operators such as Vodafone. It also acts as a consultant…

The French competition authority Conseil de la concurrence (equivalent of the FTC in the US) wants the government to ease regulations governing mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to increase competition in the mobile telephony market, which is dominated by SFR, Orange and Bouygues Telecom. The competition authority recently issued a report in which it noted that MVNOs play a significant role in fostering more competition. Eric Besson, minister in charge of new technology and communications in the Sarkozy cabinet, says…

Blyk, the UK MVNO for people between the ages of 16 and 24, has signed up 100,000 customers, six months ahead of schedule. Blyk claims that response rate (29 percent) to the ads is very high compared to other media.

Blyk launched last year in the UK and has an interesting business model: it provides free mobile phone calls and text messages, no contract, with a catch — you agree to receive up to six messages a day from their advertisers.…