With a fresh infusion from SK Telecom, will Helio be the last MVNO standing when the smoke clears? We look at the unique moves Helio has made this year, and what to expect in the 2008.
While other major MVNOs crashed and burned this year, we weren't surprised to see Helio weather the storm. For one thing, Amp'd Mobile died of starvation, customers who weren't paying their bills, and not because of a genetic disorder inherent in the MVNO model. We like the MVNO model precisely because of what Helio brings to the market. Slick handsets that you can't find anywhere else. An interface and menu system that make sense and aren't beholden to the carrier's whim. And, unique applications that are useful to the company's target audience, which seems to be tech journalists and Korean immigrants.
The mystery phone
This story would have been much different a week ago, before Helio finally took the wraps off of Mysto, their latest ultra-thin slider. We got to know this phone as the Samsung U600 on our tour of Korea, where it is enjoying popularity as one of the thinnest sliders on that competitive market. While the phone itself is well-designed, what we're most excited about is a genuine Korean phone making a non-stop trip across the globe and landing in U.S. stores. This was always the promise of Helio, to bring the super-cool handsets from the Korean market to the U.S. While we've been generally impressed, or at least piqued, by Helio's phone's before now, they've been either unique designs, like the Ocean, or cool, but not exciting, Samsung retreads.
More cultural exchange
In the coming year from Helio, we'd love to see a couple more models brought over from SK Telecom's network. Now that the Korean carrier has taken a larger stake in the MVNO, we'd like to see it really take an interest and start leveraging its hardware portfolio and partnerships. If we had to make a request, we'd like to see something really mind-blowing, like the Samsung B710, with a 3D screen and dual lenses around back for 3D photos.
Pantech, the company to watch?
We're pretty sure that we'll see some incremental upgrades to Helio's phones. The new phones will get new applications, especially the Ocean, but we're not expecting an Ocean 2 just yet. Still, Pantech has been on fire recently with the Ocean and then the Duo on AT&T. It would be cool to see what else the upstart manufacturer has up its sleeve. The dual-slide design is useful, and still has some room for improvement. We definitely see the Ocean coming out in new colors, maybe new styles, to completely bury the Sidekick line on T-Mobile. We'd love to see a thinner model as well, or maybe an Ocean mini based on the Duo design. The Helio Pond, perhaps.
Building relationships
Ultimately, we see Helio surviving the year despite reports of its impending death that are sure to show up in the months to come. Helio is expanding, but not at breakneck speeds, but perhaps that's for the best. Helio tries interesting promotions with its existing customers. We have a non-business Helio account, and we're constantly being invited to events and movie screenings for which our Helio phone is our ticket. The store near our office, one of a few in the country, hosts events for existing customers. And the new Mysto phone is only available if you know to ask for it, it won't be on display or available for demonstration in the stores, until the second week in January.
Are these the best practices for building profit? Probably not, but they are good practices for building relationships, and for a company like Helio, that's much more important. Helio customers pay more per month for service on average than customers on other U.S. networks, and they are happier to do so. If that isn't good business, we don't know what is.
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