Blyk, the advertising-funded mobile phone operator has announced plans to roll out its service in Germany, Spain and Belgium, having already launched in the UK.
The company, which has failed to respond to numerous requests from IT PRO for access to its service for review purposes, is also planning a launch in Holland later this year.
Finnish-British Blyk is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), much like Virgin Mobile. Blyk resells capacity on the Orange network in the UK under its own brand, but differentiates itself by offering a preset number of free calls and text messages to its 16 to 24 year old customer based in return for users accepting advertisements onto their phone via text message and picture message. In the UK it offers 217 texts and 43 minutes of voice calls per month for receiving up to six texts a day from brands including Adidas and Manchester United.
Germany and Spain are among Europe's biggest ad markets and Belgium's ad spending per capita is among the region's highest, Blyk's co-founder and chairman, Pekka Ala-Pietila, said in an interview.
Ala-Pietila, a former president of phone maker Nokia, said the firm was in advanced talks with operators over network renting in the new markets.
"These talks are in quite a late stage," he said.
"The concept can be adjusted to several markets," Ala-Pietila said. "Our target is not to stop at five."
(Additional reporting by Robert Hetz and Georgina Prodhan, Reuters, and Chris Green, IT PRO)
-
Document management systems (DMS) in the AI era: How to choose the right solution to create a trusted foundation for your businessSupported In the AI era, documents are no longer just records — they’re strategic assets. A modern DMS provides the secure, intelligent foundation firms need to harness AI, ensure compliance, and build lasting digital confidence
-
The business guide to Windows 11In-depth As Windows 10's mainstream support ends, it's time for businesses who have yet to upgrade to take a second look at Windows 11
-
Cisco promises AI training for a million AmericansNews The company joins Amazon, Google, and Microsoft in support of the government's Pledge to America's Youth – Investing in AI Education
-
Software engineers among hardest hit in latest Cisco layoffs
News A significant portion of job cuts affect staff in software engineering roles, documents show.
-
Cisco names Oliver Tuszik as global sales chiefNews Cisco has announced the appointment of Oliver Tuszik as its new executive vice president of global sales, who replaces Gary Steele.
-
'Digital hide-and-seek': Workers are wasting hundreds of hours a year sourcing the information they need to carry out their roleNews Knowledge workers globally are wasting a quarter of their working week tracking down information, new research from Atlassian has revealed.
-
Cisco wants to train 1.5 million Europeans in digital skillsNews Cisco has unveiled plans to provide free training to 1.5 million people across the EU as part of a major digital skills drive.
-
"Our goal is to transform partner success": Cisco just announced a major overhaul of its partner program – here’s what you need to knowNews The Cisco 360 Partner Program promises to accelerate the value partners bring to customers, reimagined to boost skills and innovation
-
Meta layoffs hit staff at WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs divisionsNews The 'year of efficiency' for Mark Zuckerberg continues as Meta layoffs affect staff in key business units
-
Cisco’s ‘savvy’ CoreWeave deal will supercharge its AI ambitions
Analysis Experts told ITPro the move could be an attempt to strengthen Cisco’s AI footprint
