Anywhere SIM National Roaming Service to Tackle U.K. Notspots

Anywhere SIM, a new U.K. MVNO launching this summer, has announced that it will offer services allowing subscribers to roam on any U.K. network. The Lancashire based startup will offer a SIM card that will enable users to make or receive calls on the networks of O2, Vodafone, 3 or EE. According to the MVNO, cellular connections will be automatically switched between carriers, depending on which MNO has the best signal in a given location. Anywhere SIM says its offerings will be a good option for users who frequently find themselves in areas of no connectivity (notspots). Initially, the MVNO will offer three different prepaid tariffs, which will not be available on 4G networks. The Anywhere Home tariff, which will cost £0.05 (US $0.08) per voice minute or per MB of data, will allow users to receive calls via any network, but they must make outgoing calls or access data on O2, which is the home network. The Anywhere UK tariff will cost £0.10 (US $0.16) per voice minute or MB of data, and subscribers can send and receive calls and SMS or access data on any network. The Anywhere EU tariff extends roaming access to 27 European countries. It will cost £0.15 (US $0.23) per voice minute or per MB of data. The cost of sending and receiving SMS on all tariffs will be £0.05 per SMS.

 Last year, U.K. consumers were optimistic that the country’s major MNOs would create a solution similar to Anywhere SIM’s offerings as a way to get rid of notspots. Sajid Javid, who was Culture Secretary at the time, tried pressuring the mobile operators to offer national roaming, after Prime Minister David Cameron complained about not receiving a mobile signal in his home constituency and when traveling around the country. The mobile operators rejected the idea of national roaming and instead agreed to the request from Ofcom, the U.K. regulator, to build out their infrastructure, particularly in the country’s rural areas. Anywhere SIM’s launch as an MVNO is a clear indication of the lack of mobile coverage that exists in the U.K. What is not yet clear is how successful the MVNO will be in solving the coverage problem, considering that its offerings do not look particularly appealing. MVNOs generally provide plans tailored to meet the needs of budget-conscious consumers, but all three of Anywhere SIM’s tariffs are priced relatively steep compared to offerings from other U.K. MVNOs and MNOs. In addition, network switching is not seamless when a user moves to a different location after establishing a call or data connection. While we applaud Anywhere SIM for trying to tackle the U.K. notspot problem, its attempt, while not the end-all solution may be the catalyst for a solution.


The above item appeared in a recent issue of The Tarifica Alert, a weekly resource that analyzes noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. Contact Tarifica for a subscription to the Tarifica Alert. 
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Vodafone Netherlands Opens 4G to Prepaid and Hybrid Customers

Vodafone Netherlands is expanding access to its 4G network to prepaid and hybrid postpaid customers (meaning those on no-term contracts). The cost of access, in addition to the standard data plan, is €2.50 (US $3.41) per month for hybrid customers and €5.00 (US $6.82) for prepaid users. Speeds claimed are up to 25 Mbps for download and 12.5 Mbps for upload. Vodafone said recently that it plans to accelerate the rollout of its 4G network in order to reach nationwide coverage by September.

Vodafone’s decision to make its LTE service available to prepaid and hybrid customers is a reminder that in developed economies such as the Netherlands, sophisticated data use has become sufficiently widespread that high-speed services are desired by a range of consumers, not just those at the high end of the market. Even those who choose to save money by going for the prepaid option are accessing the kind of content—video, for example—that requires a 4G signal in order to get full functionality. Furthermore, perhaps due to recession and perhaps due to changing usage habits in general, more and more consumers are opting to be free from the constraints of contracts—which accounts for the prevalence of hybrid setups as well as prepaid. Vodafone is wise to realize that these customers cannot be left out of the new 4G world, and to provide them with access at very reasonable rates. The operator is, of course, also aware that if 4G is to fully come into its own throughout the country, full buy-in from the customer base is required in addition to the proliferation of physical infrastructure. 

The above item appeared in a recent issue of Tarifica's "The Story of The Week", a weekly report that analyzes two noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. For past issues or to learn more about The Story of The Week :  http://www.tarifica.com/storyoftheweek.aspx

New York City Seeks to Replace Payphones with Free WiFi

New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) has issued a request for proposals to build a citywide network of free WiFi hotspots. The public communication points will provide free calls to the emergency number 911 and the city information number 311. The winner will install, operate and maintain up to 10,000 public communication points distributed across the city’s five boroughs. These structures will replace and supplement the roughly 7,300 current public payphone installations. The hotspots must be set up within the next four years and will be funded mainly through digital advertising. The plan is projected to bring in US $17.5 million in guaranteed annual revenue for the City of New York through June 2026.

In terms of usage patterns and functionality, WiFi hotspots are the natural successor to the old-fashioned public phone, so this plan makes sense on that level. What is interesting here, though, is that they will be funded through advertising, unlike payphones, which are funded by direct payment from the user. The City of New York is taking a page from the public WiFi solutions being offered to commercial establishments such as malls and restaurants, which are ad-funded. Of course free access to 911 is a public good. Beyond that, though, it remains to be seen whether the city will allow data sharing to benefit businesses that want to target potential customers based on their usage patterns.

The above item appeared in a recent issue of Tarifica's "The Story of The Week", a weekly report that analyzes two noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. For past issues or to learn more about The Story of The Week :  http://www.tarifica.com/storyoftheweek.aspx