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NewsGlobe: Currents
Wal-Mart Germany to Launch MVNO
German Retailers Also Interested in ‘Triple-Play’?
by Ouida Taaffe
Wal-Mart Germany is to launch an MVNO. The offer will be
called ‘Mango Mobile’ (http://www.mangomobile.de) and is ‘soon to be available in
all Wal-Mart stores [in Germany]’. Mango Mobile is supported
by a company called Facey Retail Solutions GmbH, which is
the German subsidiary of a distributor of handsets and
provider of telecom solutions said to be based in Miami.
Neither pricing scheme, nor launch date for Mango Mobile
have been released.
This development follows MVNO offerings from two of the
biggest discount retails in Germany – Aldi and Tchibo – and
the introduction of a number of ‘sub-brands’ by the network
operator E-Plus in an increasingly hard-fought German mobile
market. (For more information, click here)
Given the punishing pricing that is already a feature of the
German mobile business – Aldi ran a two-week special offer
where it sold ‘starter sets’ allowing on-net calls for five Euro
cents a minute – it is thought unlikely that Wal-Mart’s primary
intention will be to make a profit out of its mobile service
offer.
However, it may be that retailers in Germany interested in the
telecom market have more than the mobile card up their
sleeves. According to comments made in the Q3, 2005 results
announcement of QSC, a provider of wholesale and high-end
DSL services across Germany, “many more non-telecom
players, albeit with mass-market experience, are eagerly
entering the DSL market. They want to position themselves
early for ‘triple-play’ business.”
Wal-Mart did not respond to requests for information on
whether it would be interested in bundling mobile and fixed
provision.
It is still not clear which network operator will provide the
capacity for ‘Mango Mobile’. However, T-Mobile is listed as a
provider on the website. LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and
Siemens are given as the handset brands on offer.
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