Mango Mobile

[snaimon]

Wirtschaftswoche reported Fri Jan 20 2006 that Walmart DE is trying to stand up its own mobile brand at least in its stores. Nothing definite, not even the network.

Also, it is reported that Aldi will be restarting sales of its MVNO mobile, which had been suspended, will resume in early Feb. Ebay.de had some horrendous prices for those who could not wait.

Both notes reported on teltarif.de, among others

Stan

[snaimon]

AFAIK, the situation is still UNCLEAR. It SEEMS that Mango Mobile may simply be a store within a store (Walmart) that offers various German cell phone options rather than offering it OWN MVNO service.

There is currently only ONE provider showing on www.mango.de and that provider is T-MO DE with the Xtra & LOS prepaid (35 e-cents / minute all networks) and another postpaid offer. It is reported that other providers will also have offers on the site and in the stores. As we know, other German MVNOs and offers beat the current Wallie-offer.

I am NOT a big fan of Uncle Wallie and Germans with whom I have spoken are VERY cautious about the company.

Stan

[Triband81]

Unfortunately, I don't have a Walmart directly nearby. There's one on the outskirts of Cologne but I would only go there to check out the offer if one of you had a really detailed question which couldn't be answered via the Web.

I also read about the two stories on teltarif.de today and the ALDI offer beats Walmart hands down. I don't know how many takers there will actually be this time but if ALDI plays their cards right, then they'll be ahead of Lidl once they join the fray.

[snaimon]

Thanks for weighing in on this, TB!

I agree that the Aldi offer is GENERALLY the best bet THESE DAYS in DE. Reports that they have the SMS pricing corrected (5 internal, 15 external). And with details still unknown on the Walmart thing, why even bother at this time?

What do you make of all the offers and high-priced Aldi starter sets for sale on Ebay.de? Just can't wait? I have seen some STUPID, STUPID buyers on Ebay (US). They bid up the prices on phones to the SKY (say $200) when there is a BUY IT NOW phone of the exact same brand and condition for $100. Huh?

And you are right about Lidl (or even Uncle Wallie) trying to play catch up. Unless they can meet or beat the Aldi offer on a better network, how can they expect to compete? Aldi has a nice head start it seems.

Read that O2 has experienced a nice growth spurt with Tchibo brand. That STARTED it all, but I can't see how that offer can really compete NOW against Aldi Talk.

INTERESTING is the XtraNONSTOP if you make long calls. At 39 e-cents you could get ~8 minutes of calls network internal or 2.667 min of an Aldi Talk anywhere call for the same price. I mean if your call duration is less, then it is cheaper on Aldi Talk or Xtra Click & Go with 5 cents internal (also limited time, right?) Teltarif seems to be making a bid deal about the NONSTOP extention, but it was already thought the offer would be extended until June 30 2006 anyway -- noted on the automated voice driven menu infos. I don't see the big news.

AND the tarif is STILL TOO tentative -- so what happens AFTER June 30? AND it does ME absolutely no good at all right now as we are planning a trip for mid-July to mid-Aug. PLUS I'd have to pay 5 Euro to switch my existing XtraONE line(s) to the XtraClassic or purchase a new card or two.

Stan

[Triband81]

Originally Posted by snaimon

Thanks for weighing in on this, TB!

What do you make of all the offers and high-priced Aldi starter sets for sale on Ebay.de? Just can't wait? I have seen some STUPID, STUPID buyers on Ebay (US). They bid up the prices on phones to the SKY (say $200) when there is a BUY IT NOW phone of the exact same brand and condition for $100. Huh?

And you are right about Lidl (or even Uncle Wallie) trying to play catch up. Unless they can meet or beat the Aldi offer on a better network, how can they expect to compete? Aldi has a nice head start it seems.

Read that O2 has experienced a nice growth spurt with Tchibo brand. That STARTED it all, but I can't see how that offer can really compete NOW against Aldi Talk.

AND the tarif is STILL TOO tentative -- so what happens AFTER June 30? AND it does ME absolutely no good at all right now as we are planning a trip for mid-July to mid-Aug. PLUS I'd have to pay 5 Euro to switch my existing XtraONE line(s) to the XtraClassic or purchase a new card or two.

Stan

I haven't joined the eBay revolution myself but I think it's a decent setup for a lot of things. If you deal with inflated prices on eBay and you go for the deal, then obviously you can't complain to someone in person should the deal go sour. I think anything having to do with direct retail is the best way to go since the retailer will normally try to ensure the price suits what the customer will pay.

The tactic you see being applied by ALDI isn't new. They're following the same route Lidl has gone the last few years. They join market segments which don't have to do with being a supermarket. Lidl was giving free Deutsche Bahn train tickets last year to draw people into the stores and many lined up way before opening hours. Anyway, I prefer to buy things directly at a store (especially when it comes to phones) since you can actually compare price and get a better deal for your money.

Tchibo is still going strong but the fact is that E-Plus must be offering some neat incentives to the MVNOs in order to get them attached to their network. T-Mobile and Vodafone haven't really gotten smart and made an effort to draw in new MVNO setups.

We'll wait and see how ALDI does.