Formerly an MVNO operating off of Sprint's CDMA network, Mobile ESPN has decided to go a few more rounds, this time playing for a new team. It shouldn't be much of a surprise that the sports network has appeared on Verizon Wireless' service; customers who stuck with the MVNO until the end were offered a free RAZR and a month of V Cast service if they jumped to Verizon as the Mobile ESPN ship capsized last September.
Now, V Cast subscribers will get the Mobile ESPN application, with news and scores, ESPN fantasy team management through V Cast, and ESPN On Demand videos. Additionally, with the launch of the V Cast TV service this year, ESPN fans will be able to watch a mobile version of the sports network on the MediaFLO-based service.
It is an interesting development for a service whose implosion seemed to signal problems for MVNOs as a whole. Helio, another MVNO operating on Sprint's network, recently sent mixed messages about its own performance. Helio recently reported its subscriber rates and projections for the first time, indicating a base of 70,000 subscribers who tend to spend more than the average mobile subscriber each month. At the same time, one of Helio's parents, Earthlink, had to admit an operating loss for the MVNO, though still predicts substantial growth -- up to a whopping 100,000 subscribers -- in the coming months.
Mobile ESPN launched in late 2005, first with the bulky Sanyo MVP handset and later with the Samsung MM-A900, which was rebranded as the Ace.
Related phone: Samsung Ace, a.k.a. the MM-A900
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Samsung MM-A900
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When: November 2005 Worth: $100 - $350 Carrier: Sprint
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Tactile and audible tactics signify Samsung's new MM-A900 and MM-A920 clamshells as they debut on Sprint's network - both setting Motorola's RAZR V3c squarely in their sights.
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