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Dealers
July 9, 2013
Firms UK and Ireland VP James Bannister exploring airtime possibilities to fuel mobile growth in the UK
Ingram Micro Mobility has said it may launch its own MVNO, as it looks to build its UK mobile division.
This is according to the distributor’s UK and Ireland vice president James Bannister, who told Mobile News the firm is seeking new ways to boost revenues in the UK.
Bannister ruled out following a similar path to Micro-P and attempting to become an established airtime distributor, but said other airtime options will be explored such as SIM packing and shipping devices with SIMs included.
He said: “We intend to grow the mobility business in the UK and we are looking at numerous avenues to do that. The acquisition of the [BrightPoint] mobility business is a very positive thing as it brings a strong balance sheet and a long-term commitment to make the UK business into something sexy.
“I don’t see the assisted sales model as a big opportunity. The model assumes people can’t already get access to the product, but in most cases IT customers already have someone they buy devices from.
“We may launch an MVNO, but we will do it differently to our competitors, so watch this space is my message.”
The comments come exactly a year after Ingram Micro announced its intention to buy BrightPoint for $650 million (£420 million).
The deal went through in October and the firm was rebranded in February.