Vodafone Italia is preparing to launch a low-cost MVNO service later this year to compete with Telecom Italia’s recently unveiled Kena Mobile brand and the imminent entry of France’s Iliad as the country’s fourth mobile network operator, reports Milano-Finanza. On 08 March Vodafone created a company called Vei SRL and informed rivals that it holds a general licence for full MVNO activities. The new company would serve as the vehicle for the new brand, which could begin providing mobile number portability services as early as September 2017, said the report.
Although the report goes on to cite Vodafone sources indicating that no final decision has been taken and that the company is still evaluating its options, it adds that the creation of a new brand and the existence of a detailed roadmap point to the imminent launch of a no frills service. TIM (Telecom Italia) began offering Kena Mobile plans starting at EUR 3.99 a month at the end of March, while Iliad intends to launch in Italy between November 2017 and January 2018 and is planning to quickly reach 10 percent of the mobile market with aggressive offers.
