UK GSM License Holder Embeds Base Stations Within Payphones

Mapesbury Communications, a UK GSM licence holder, has announced an agreement with Spectrum Interactive for the rights to broadcast its UK01 GSM service from hundreds of payphone kiosks; these sites will accelerate the rollout of its new mobile phone service branded as UK01.

Spectrum Interactive has just under 5,200 public payphones in the UK.

UK01 says that it aims to establish itself as a major mobile operator in the UK catering for specific targeted markets offering an alternative to other traditional Mobile Network Operators.

The company has a novel business model, either offering a standard SIM only deal - or slightly more innovatively reusing the existing SIM card from the customer's main network operator and tracking the calls via the handset IMEI. Customers have to manually select the smaller network though when in range of one of the pico cells.

The CEO of Mapesbury Communications, Magnus Kelly says "This agreement is an important milestone, as it accelerates our ability to launch the UK's 6th mobile phone network."

Mapesbury Communications is a privately owned company founded in October 2002. The company has been deploying T-Mobile branded Wi-Fi hotspots within UK petrol stations since Sept 2003.

Posted to the site on 19th June 2008