Dot Mobile goes titsup

Student-targeted MVNO discovers students have no money

By Chris Williams • Get more from this author

Posted in Mobile, 28th March 2008 15:58 GMT

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Dot Mobile, an MVNO aimed at students, has been put into administration and its subscribers will be migrated to Vodafone, the company's carrying network since its launch in 2005.

A message posted to Dot Mobile's website confirms its slide into financial ignominy. "Your contract of service remains unaffected. [We] will continue to invoice and collect payments in the normal way," it says.

Tony Fish, Dot Mobile's chairman told El Reg that calling the administrators in does not signal the end of the road for the venture. "There's going to be a positive outcome," he said, indicating that it will reappear in another, as-yet-undisclosed guise.

He said he has strong opinions on what went wrong with Dot Mobile, but would not share them.

Vodafone sent us this statement:

Vodafone UK is aware of the news regarding dot mobile's financial difficulties and recent move into administration. Dot Mobile had been offering students their own tariffs and proposition, using Vodafone as the wholesale partner.
Vodafone will be working closely with the administrator on a managed migration programme to ensure that customers can continue to have an uninterrupted mobile service.

Dot Mobile's failure on the UK yoof MVNO scene follows the closure of Disney's virtual network, and the bankruptcy of Amp'd stateside. Blyk, the ad-funded MVNO that is targeting British yoof, is still in the running. ®

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