UK - 15 Mobile Service Providers by Christmas 2006

10th March 2005 - UK based mobile consulting firm Mako Analysis has announced that the UK could have as many as 15 mobile phone operators selling branded services by Christmas 2006. 

For a number of years in the mobile industry the term Mobile Virtual Network Operator or MVNO represented a section of the market that could not be described as anything other than niche. Virgin Mobile enjoyed the crown of having perhaps the most successful international MVNO operation for a period following its launch in 1999. Even this seemingly stable outfit was not without its critics however as Virgin's business model never saw them rack up incumbent operator rivalling connection figures despite launching at the peak of the mobile telecoms boom. With the close of Virgin Mobile's Singapore outfit in 2002 it seemed the MVNO model would never pose a serious threat to the established cellular networks.

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http://www.mobileguru.co.uk/news/Mobile-News-2128.html