Caught this on Peter’s post on MobileCrunch…
Link: MobileCrunch » Ministry of Sound Plots MVNO Launch
If you’re hitting the U.K. dance clubs until the sun comes up, then the best way to reach you might be on a Ministry of Sound branded phone. And this could be in the cards, as the popular U.K. based independent record label and dance club brands considers becoming a mobile virtual network operator. Fans of the electronica music brand will have the option to make calls, send text messages and browse the mobile Internet on a Ministry of Sound-branded network.
What a stupid idea
Too late. Far, far, FAR too late.
You’ll get, what, 50,000 folk signed up then realise that it was a reaaaaally silly idea launching an MVNO.
With 115%+ penetration in the UK, this is the last place you want to arse about launching an MVNO.
I daresay there are many fans of the Ministry brand — but I seriously doubt how much value the Ministry brand will hold to the average 21 year old facing either the opportunity of a free, brand new 3G handset from Vodafone every 12 months, or some half-arsed shitty Ministry branded Pay As You Go Nokia with a Paul van Dyk ringtone.
With DISNEY shelving its UK MVNO plans, M&S limping along with their stuttering MVNO and ASDA hoping to use its retail might to claw a 1% share, you have to wonder if the executives at Ministry haven’t got the memo yet.
If it launches, it’s destined as an also-ran, unless of course, Ministry launches with free calls, free texts, the whole shebang. Launch with the same prices as Tesco Mobile and they’ll get nowhere.
Heard about this a while back but was sworn to secrecy…
My reaction was pretty similar…
They don’t have the distribution so I don’t see how they can get this to work. There are ways for MoS to make money on mobile, I don’t see that this is one of them.