Voda inks Extreme youth phone deal

Does 180 on MVNOs

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in Mobile, 13th June 2005 15:05 GMT

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Vodafone UK has hooked up with the Extreme youth culture outfit to launch a pre-pay mobile phone service aimed at the under 24s.

Hitching a ride on Vodafone's network, ExtremeMob will provide "stylish handsets and value for money tariffs" for image-conscious young people.

And with the brand's background in Extreme sport, a TV station and other "yoof" material, Extreme says it will deliver a service with "an edgy content offering that feels more like a lifestyle magazine - always fresh and relevant".

Al Gosling, the 33 year old founder of the Extreme Group reckons there is a gap in the market for a mobile offering geared to meet the aspirations of the youth market.

"ExtremeMob will be a unique, youth-focused mobile offering," said Gosling, presumably between bouts of ski-ing, ice climbing and windsurfing.

"This is not about price...it's about providing a relevant, value for money service for our customers.

"We're going to give our customers what they want, the way they want it.

"The youth audience already embrace mobiles and advances in technology - they 'get it', so why treat them like they don't?"

The new service is due to be launched later this summer.

Analysts Ovum said they were surprised that Vodafone UK had inked an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) deal since it had previously been "anti-MVNO".

Said Ovum: "There were rumours that Extreme was going to partner with Orange, another anti-MVNO operator, which suggests that Extreme must have a compelling business case for these two operators to be interested.

"We are encouraged by players such as Extreme entering the MVNO market," said Ovum. ®