South Africa’s Mr. Price Becomes The First African Retailer To Launch Its MVNO
South African based clothes retailer Mr Price, has become the first African retailer to launch its very own Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) dubbed MRP Mobile. Mr. Price becomes the second retailer in South Africa, after Virgin Mobile, to adapt this technology.
Rex Samuelson, the Managing Director at Mr Prince, said the company is yet to define its strategic direction on its financial services but will update the market come this November, during the JSE-listed group’s half-year financial update.
MRP Mobile becomes the second MVNO to be launched in South Africa after Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Mobile South Africa (VMSA). Brian Neilson, BMI-TechKnowledge Director, says that VMSA has about 500,000 subscribers; compared to South Africa’s leading mobile operator Vodacom 32.5 million subscribers.
Mr Price has teamed up with MVN-X – a mobile virtual network enabler and a subsidiary of the Ignition Group, based in Durban that gives established banks and retailers a platform for launching their mobile offerings, using the Cell C’s network.
