Selling SIM cards isn’t a new, brave business venture. Hell, your local corner shop probably sells spade-loads of them, and perhaps even allows you to RICA them as well. But moving this business entirely online is an interesting step that me&you mobile has undertaken.
The company, now just over a year old, believes that SIM-only contracts are the future for consumers. But how exactly does me&you describe itself?
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“me&you mobile is a month-to-month, SIM-only mobile network offering the lowest call rates on the market,” company brand manager Dean Ormsby explains.
Currently servicing around 15 000 customers, me&you buys voice and data from Cell C and resells them to consumers (thus being a mobile virtual network operator).
“This models means we have no infrastructure and maintenance costs, and our ecommerce model means we have no retail overheads either,” Ormsby continues.
“This is how we are able to offer our customers the lowest voice rates on the market, as well as competitive data deals. Our customer deals with me&you only, so all communications, billing and customer care are handled by me&you mobile.”
Ormsby notes that me&you is a “niche” network provider, playing in a space where not too many other mobile giants delve. Generally, smartphone contracts arrive with phones attached. But me&you’s model ensures that the consumer only gets a SIM card, and the services around that.
Ultimately, it gives users the freedom to upgrade their phones without the need to upgrade their contracts.
“We offer the flexibility of prepaid and the value of postpaid pricing which makes our overall offering very appealing. Simple, smart and SIM-only is the way to go these days.”
But why does the company think that’s a good model?
“Consumers are educating themselves around the true cost of mobile phones being bundled into 24 month contracts,” Ormsby explains.
“Consumers pay more for these devices than they should, and are then locked into inflexible, 24 month contracts. In a constantly changing environment, it is no longer realistic to assume that your mobile needs are going to stay the same for 24 months.”
Its most popular offering, according to Ormsby, is its Unlimited Talk package at R299 per month, which allows subscribers to “call any network, any time for R299 a month.”
