Ventures-National Inc. said its Oblio Telecom Inc. division will launch its mobile virtual network operator Bravo Cellular prepaid wireless service later this month. Oblio said the service will target first- and second-generation immigrants from African, Asian, European and Latin American countries.
Oblio said it reached an agreement last month with an unnamed Tier 1 service provider to support its MVNO plans. The company also inked a deal with Combined Technologies Inc. to provide fulfillment services and said it was sourcing handsets from Asia that were made to Oblio’s specifications.
Oblio did not report how much it will charge per minute for domestic or international calls, but did say it will include unlimited domestic night and weekend calling minutes for $1 per day.
Oblio said the service will be available through its distribution channels as a turnkey wireless offering with a packaged handset and a $10 initial account value that is ready to use upon purchase. Bill Streidl, Oblio’s director of sales and marketing, also noted that the Bravo Cellular service was a traditional prepaid service and “not a hybrid” offering.
Oblio said it expects to add 250,000 recurring new customers within the first year of service with annualized revenues of more than $100 million.
