Lebara Mobile to launch in the UK - Ratheesan Yoganathan , Baskaran Kandiah (Karan) , Ranjith Leon

October 24, 2007
Lebara Mobile to launch in the UK - Ratheesan Yoganathan , Baskaran Kandiah (Karan) , Ranjith Leon

I've just received news of a new mobile operator launching next week. Here's the release:
UK-based ethnic residents to benefit from clear, low-cost mobile international calling solutions and multi-lingual support London, UK – 23rd October 2007 – Lebara Mobile, a division of the Lebara Group, one of the fastest-growing private companies based in the UK, today announced that it will enter
the UK market on the 31st October 2007.
Lebara Mobile is launching a new Pay-As-You-Go SIM card giving ethnic residents based in the UK a simple, low cost way to call abroad or text directly from their mobile phones. Lebara Mobile SIM cards, top-ups and a range of handsets will be available through national and independent retailers as well as online. Lebara Mobile country manager Rob Gaskin said: "Lebara Mobile has already had unique experience in working closely with ethnic communities across six European countries and we know that UK customers have been crying out for a reliable low cost alternative to calling cards.
We also believe our offering will provide a real shot in the arm for the independent dealer channel." Customers will be able to use their existing mobile phones and retain their existing mobile numbers, or choose from Lebara Mobile's range of handsets. SIM cards are compatible with all standard UK GSM mobile handsets. A multi-lingual customer support service will be available and voicemail services will also be included.
A leading UK mobile network operator will carry the Lebara Mobile traffic within the UK. For global reach, calls are passed to the Lebara Mobile international switched network, and routed seamlessly to their destination. A key focus for Lebara Mobile in the UK is to migrate customers from fragmented and poor-quality calling card services onto the Lebara Mobile Pay-As-You-Go SIM card-based offering, providing customers with the additional benefits of a quality service with easy to understand pricing.
"The strong market opportunity in the UK, combined with our European experience, heritage and ability to connect with our customers, truly differentiates us," said Yoganathan Ratheesan, CEO of Lebara Group. "I am delighted that we have been able to launch into a third market this year, having entered the Swiss and Spanish markets in the first quarter." Further details of retail, telecom and solution partners; distribution channels; call charge rates and go to market activities will be announced on the 31st October 2007 to coincide with availability in the retail channel.
Lebara Mobile was founded in 2001 as part of the Lebara Group and now operates in seven European countries: the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden and now the UK. The Group's headquarters are in London. Lebara Mobile has some 600,000 customers and generates annual sales in excess of EUR 162 million. The 'Fast Track 100 listing', produced by the Sunday Times in 2006, ranked Lebara Mobile the fourth fastest-growing private company in Great Britain.
Referred to …chiswickken