MyBundle, a company that helps hundreds of small and midsized broadband operators create video streaming bundles, is branching into mobile.
MyBundle execs tell Light Reading that it is entering the mobile game via a partnership with Gigs, a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) that has already forged partnerships with several partners, including Nubank, OnePay, Cash App, Klarna, Revolut, Motorola, Santander, Sezzle and Tide. AT&T is among Gigs’ announced mobile network partners. In the US, AT&T is Gigs’ anchor partner, but it also has an agreement to leverage T-Mobile’s network, according to Fierce Wireless.
MyBundle has been exploring a move into mobile for four to five years, according to CEO Jason Cohen. He said MyBundle’s interest in entering that sector grew amid discussions with existing broadband operator partners that expressed interest in adding mobile to the service mix, but didn’t necessarily have the resources to pull it off on their own.
Using the bulk of the tech stack it has developed for video streaming bundles, MyBundle plans to soon introduced a service called MyBundle Mobile that can be promoted by its ISP partners, Michael Goldstein, MyBundle’s chief revenue officer, explained.
MyBundle Mobile will start with three packages that offer up to 2 Gigabytes, 5GB or “unlimited” (50GB) data before speeds are reduced. The offering will initially use a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) model.
“We’re trying to keep it simple, certainly at the start,” Cohen said, noting that MyBundle Mobile intends to later tack on additional features and capabilities.
ISPs will have a say on mobile pricing
While MyBundle Mobile will offer baseline pricing for that set of service tiers, MyBundle’s broadband partners will have a degree of control over how the packages are priced.
They can offer the MyBundle Mobile’s baseline pricing (not yet disclosed, but execs stress that it will be “competitive” with similar offerings on the market today), or subsidize some of those costs. For example, it will be possible for a MyBundle Mobile partner to discount the baseline pricing to customers who take certain broadband speed tiers or take advantage of certain promotions. .
Goldstein said there will be no limit on the number of lines that can be added to an account, and that each line in a given account can select from any of the three initial plans offered by MyBundle. An aim there is to enable families to select the right plan for each member, he added.
MyBundle to handle billing and customer care
MyBundle will operate the new mobile offering, effectively serving as the front end for Gigs and handling key components such as billing, customer support and the overall mobile product experience. Meanwhile, MyBundle Mobile’s broadband service partners will share in the branding (i.e. “MyBundle Mobile – brought to you by broadband operator XYZ”) and promote it via web page (again, featuring the ISP’s logos and color schemes) that directs prospective customers to MyBundle Mobile.
But those ISPs won’t need to do any significant integration work to make MyBundle Mobile available to their broadband customers, Goldstein said. Some broadband operators, he explained, don’t view mobile as a margin-driver, but rather as a tool to help them protect and grow their broadband service revenues, much as some of them view video services today.
Cohen said MyBundle plans to launch the mobile offering in beta mode this September, and then look to onboard ISP partners by mid-October. MyBundle has not announced any commitments for the coming mobile offering, but discussions are underway, he added.
MyBundle currently has about 350 broadband operators that are using its platform to create video streaming bundles.
“The triple plan of broadband, mobile and streaming is where all of this is heading,” Cohen said.
Competitive or complement to other options?
When launched, MyBundle Mobile will provide a new option for broadband ISPs that want to add mobile to their service mix.
Tier 2/3 broadband operators have taken different paths to mobile. Several midsized cable operators have opted to develop a mobile bundle on their own. For example, Mediacom Communications has developed Mediacom Mobile by inking deals Verizon and Reach, and Midco Communications has taken a similar approach by working directly with AT&T and Telgoo5.
Meanwhile, a growing number of independent broadband operators have tapped into the National Content & Technology Cooperative’s exclusive MVNO agreement with AT&T and its MVNE agreements with Reach and Telgoo5.
Cohen holds that MyBundle Mobile will be complementary to those options, stressing that his company’s offering is tailored to broadband ISPs that are looking for a simplified way to rapidly add mobile to the service mix.
