Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN) is a mobile telecommunications technology, developed by Motorola, which provides its users the benefits of a trunked radio and a cellular telephone. It was called the first mobile social network by many technology industry analysts. iDEN places more users in a given spectral space, compared to analog cellular and two-way radio systems, by using speech compression and time-division multiple access (TDMA).
SK Telecom Co., Ltd. is a South Korean wireless telecommunications operator and is part of the SK Group, one of the country's largest chaebols. It leads the local market with 50.5 percent share as of 2008. SK Telecom is the largest wireless carrier in South Korea, with 27.019 million subscribers as of Q4 2017.
A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) is a wireless communications services provider that does not own the wireless network infrastructure over which it provides services to its customers. An MVNO enters into a business agreement with a mobile network operator to obtain bulk access to network services at wholesale rates, then sets retail prices independently. An MVNO may use its own customer service, billing support systems, marketing, and sales personnel, or it could employ the services of a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE).
Virgin Mobile is a wireless communications brand used by seven independent brand-licensees worldwide. Virgin Mobile branded wireless communications services are available in Colombia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Chile, Russia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Poland, South Africa, and Mexico. Virgin Mobile branded services used to be offered in Australia, France, Singapore, India, Qatar and the United States.
A prepaid mobile device, also known as a, pay-as-you-go (PAYG), pay-as-you-talk, pay and go, go-phone, prepay or burner phone, is a mobile device such as a phone for which credit is purchased in advance of service use. The purchased credit is used to pay for telecommunications services at the point the service is accessed or consumed. If there is no credit, then access is denied by the cellular network or Intelligent Network. Users can top up their credit at any time using a variety of payment mechanisms.
Virgin Mobile USA was a no-contract Mobile Virtual Network Operator. It used Sprint's network for coverage. It licensed the Virgin Mobile brand from United Kingdom-based Virgin Group. Virgin Mobile USA was headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, and provided service to approximately 6 million customers.
Sprint Corporation was an American telecommunications company. Before it merged with T-Mobile US on April 1, 2020, it was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States, serving 54.3 million customers as of June 30, 2019. The company also offered wireless voice, messaging, and broadband services through its various subsidiaries under the Boost Mobile and Open Mobile brands and wholesale access to its wireless networks to mobile virtual network operators.
Telcel is a Mexican wireless telecommunications company, owned by América Móvil. Founded in 1984 and based in Mexico City, Telcel is the leading provider of wireless communications services in Mexico. As of December 31, 2006, Telcel's cellular network covered more than 63% of the geographical area of Mexico, including all major cities, and 90% of Mexico's population. Telcel holds concessions to operate a wireless network in all nine geographic regions in Mexico using both the 850 megahertz and 1900 megahertz radio spectrum. According to Cofetel, as of July 2008, Telcel's subscribers represented an estimated 77.2% share of the Mexican wireless market. In August 2011, Telcel reported it has 66.9 million cellular subscribers.
Claro Company is a Mexican company part of América Móvil, a Mexican telecom group. Claro serves clients in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico and Uruguay. The company's name means "bright," "clear," and also "of course," in both Portuguese and Spanish.
Bravo is a digital radio trunking operator in Saudi Arabia. Now part of the incumbent operator Saudi Telecom Company, it was originally a separate company known as Public Telecom Company under a BOT agreement with STC. It was launched in 2005 using Motorola's proprietary iDEN technology operating on the SMR-800 frequency band.
Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited, doing business as Citycell, was the oldest mobile operator of Bangladesh. It was one of the three oldest and pioneer telecommunications network companies in South Asia along with Etisalat of Sri Lanka and Paktel of Pakistan. It was the only mobile operator in the country using CDMA and EVDO technology. Citycell's total mobile subscriber base was 0.142 million as of August 2016. Citycell was owned by SingTel (44.54%), Pacific Motors (37.95%) and Far East Telecom (17.51%). It was the smallest mobile operator of Bangladesh in terms of subscribers. It was shut down due to failure of paying dues as ordered by the BTRC in 2016.
Helio, Inc. is a former, mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) using Sprint's network that offered wireless voice, messaging and data products and services to customers in the continental United States beginning on May 2, 2006. Originally a 50/50 joint venture founded in January, 2005 between South Korean wireless operator SK Telecom and American Internet services provider EarthLink, early losses caused EarthLink to stop providing additional funding in fall of 2007. SK Telecom provided the required additional funding to sustain Helio, which was re-organized as Helio LLC, and by January 2008, SK Telecom had assumed an increased ownership stake and with it, operational control of the joint venture. Although SK Telecom publicly pledged to support Helio, SK Telecom entered into talks to sell the company to rival MVNO Virgin Mobile USA. Virgin Mobile USA closed the acquisition of Helio and its 170,000 subscribers on August 22, 2008. Virgin Mobile USA exited the postpaid wireless business and retired the Helio brand on May 25, 2010.
Nextel Communications, Inc. was an American wireless service operator that merged with and continues to exist as a wholly owned subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, which would later be bought by T-Mobile. Nextel in Brazil, and formerly in Argentina, Chile, Peru, the Philippines, and Mexico, is part of NII Holdings, a stand-alone, publicly traded company not owned by Sprint Corporation.
Emtel Ltd. is a telecommunications company based in Ebene City, Mauritius. Launched on 29 May 1989 – Emtel Ltd became the first mobile telephony operator in the Southern Hemisphere. This took place under the aegis of The Currimjee Jeewanjee Group. Since 27 April 2015, Emtel holds a partnership with Airtel, Indian provider of prepaid & postpaid, wireless internet, broadband, fixed line, digital TV and mobile services.
Dynamic Tariffing is the technology used by MTN Group, the Africa and Middle East telecoms provider, to operate MTN Zone, a prepaid-per-second billing price plan that offers potential discounts of up to 95 per cent on mobile phone calls for MTN prepaid subscribers making on-network calls.
The history of the prepaid mobile phone began in the 1990s when mobile phone operators sought to expand their market reach. Up until this point, mobile phone services were exclusively offered on a postpaid basis (contract-based), which excluded individuals with poor credit ratings and minors under the age of 18.
With prepaid mobile phone service, topping-up or reloading is needed to continue using the services of the operator. There are several ways to reload a prepaid mobile phone. The most popular process is through purchasing a prepaid card but, due to security precautions, and for convenience, electronic reloading was developed.
TruConnect, formally known as TruConnect Mobile, is an American mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that sells mobile hotspots and smartphones and 3G/4G LTE mobile data plans and prepaid cell phone talk & text plans on T-mobile's network. TruConnect was the first prepaid broadband provider in the U.S. to offer a pay-as-you-go, portable Wi-Fi service plans. The only Lifeline provider (ETC) headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. TruConnect uses either Sprint or T-Mobile's network depending on location.
The Motorola i920/i930 is Motorola's first wave of iDEN Protocol-based smartphones.
Boost Mobile is an American wireless service provider owned by Dish Wireless. It uses the T-Mobile and AT&T networks to deliver wireless services. As of Q3 2021, Boost Mobile, along with its sister brands Ting Mobile, Republic Wireless, and Gen Mobile, had 8.77 million customers.
