Lebara Mobile
Encyclopedia
Lebara Mobile is a telecommunications company which operates services in many European countries using the mobile virtual network operator
business model. The operator has presence in Australia
, Denmark
, France
, Germany
, Netherlands
, Spain
, Switzerland
, and the UK.
Lebara currently uses the Vodafone-UK network infrastructure. The primary target customer base are the ethnic and immigrant populations of the countries in which they operate. The mobile product is a basic talk and text service, but with low cost calling to international destinations.
In May 2010 it acquired the ‘Chippie’ brand and customer base in the Netherlands. In a press release Lebara said it will retain the Chippie name in the Netherlands, which is designed to address migrant communities with friends and family in North and South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia. Like the group’s own Dutch MVNO Lebara Mobile, Chippie piggybacks its services on KPN’s network.
The following industry recognitions have been awarded to Lebara:
Mobile virtual network operator
A mobile virtual network operator is a company that provides mobile phone services but does not have its own licensed frequency allocation of radio spectrum, nor does it necessarily have all of the infrastructure required to provide mobile telephone service...
business model. The operator has presence in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and the UK.
Lebara currently uses the Vodafone-UK network infrastructure. The primary target customer base are the ethnic and immigrant populations of the countries in which they operate. The mobile product is a basic talk and text service, but with low cost calling to international destinations.
History
The Lebara Group was founded in 2001, by Ratheesan Yoganathan. The founders worked on the idea at an airport cafe after seeing the TelNor building on the way to the airport. The name Lebara was coined from the first two letters of each of the founders Leon (Le) Baskaran (Ba) and Ratheesan (Ra). Lebara today generates annual sales in excess of €615 million operating as a provider of international wholesale minutes and as a virtual mobile operator (MVNO).In May 2010 it acquired the ‘Chippie’ brand and customer base in the Netherlands. In a press release Lebara said it will retain the Chippie name in the Netherlands, which is designed to address migrant communities with friends and family in North and South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia. Like the group’s own Dutch MVNO Lebara Mobile, Chippie piggybacks its services on KPN’s network.
The following industry recognitions have been awarded to Lebara:
- Innovative Service in the 2009 Mobile News AwardsMobile News AwardsThe Mobile News Awards is an annual event for the mobile communications industry in the UK. It is hosted by the news magazine Mobile News.- History and Format :The awards have been held annually since 1995 in the London Hilton on Park Lane hotel...
, for the international SIM card product. - The Fast Track 100 listing, produced by the Sunday Times in 2006, ranked Lebara as the fourth fastest-growing private company in Great Britain.
- In 2007, Real Business Magazine placed Lebara in both its Hot 100 and Top 50 to Watch in Mobile listings
- In 2008, Real Business Magazine placed Lebara in their Hot 100 listing for the second year running
- The judges in the 2008 Mobile Awards voted Lebara Mobile Best Newcomer to the UK market