EE, which runs its own 4G network along with the Orange and T-Mobile brands in the UK, has signed up two new virtual mobile networks. They’re the first MVNOs to join EE since the new brand was announced.
Talk Home, launched by the Nowtel Group, will run alongside the Talk Home calling card service. Customers will be able to buy ‘bundles’ of prepaid minutes at calling card rates for national and international calls.
White Mobile, which is also linked with a calling card service, has been co-founded by former Virgin Mobile director Graeme Hutchinson. It will offer national and international calls on a ‘pay as you go’ tariff.
Although EE’s 4G services aren’t yet available to its wholesale MVNO partners, it’s aiming to start introducing 4G to MVNOs in 2013.
Jason Bellman, Director of MVNO & National M2M at EE, said “There are some hugely innovative MVNO propositions coming to market from mass and niche brands across a number of segments, indicating renewed confidence in our economy. The strategic move by the UK’s largest calling card brands is a great example of this. EE has a broad wholesale offering, ranging from M2M to Bulk SMS and MVNO, and this division remains a key strategic focus. Our ambition is to provide 4G to a number of partners by the end of 2013, and we feel this will open up a world of opportunities for both existing and new partners alike.”