Originally published February 4 2006
Mobile ESPN leads a new breed of cell phone carriers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Mobile ESPN and other new niche carriers are trying to lure customers away from big firms like Virgin. The mobile service from ESPN will include a sleek black phone which will offer video clips, statistics, player information and scores on a sports-themed interface.
Back in the late 1970s, ESPN and a host of other budding channels rode in on cable and flooded the nation's television airwaves that had been dominated by a handful of national broadcasters.
Today, ESPN is making another push, this time with cell phones, to offer subscribers a personalized, sports-focused alternative to the big national cell phone operators.
Techno-geeks could watch live satellite television on the go while Spanish speakers could send text messages and get customer support services in Spanish.
Mobile ESPN is part of a new breed of cell phone carriers called mobile virtual network operators that buy wholesale minutes and data from the large cell phone carriers and then use them to sell cell phones and service for a niche audience.
Theoretically, the partnership helps a cell phone carrier expand its customer base at minimal cost while opening the door to new opportunities for profit for the network operator.
They join established companies like Virgin, the first large virtual operator, prepaid calling plan Tracphone Wireless and Movida, a new service for Spanish speakers.
The companies say that as the big national cell phone carriers try to gobble up the last nonusers of cell phones with their broad service approach, they have overlooked a market: people seeking a personalized cell phone experience.
"The carriers are realizing to get the last customers they need to offer more than just a mass approach," said Marina Amoroso, an analyst with the Yankee Group.
These advances allow new carriers to show off a wide range of data-intensive services and content like video and music.
That financial burden now falls to the upstarts, who may have some brand awareness but will still need to work at snagging customers, many of whom have already signed contracts with other carriers.
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