Mr Price retail store launches MVNO in South Africa

Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed retail group Mr Price (MRP) has become only the second company to commercially launch a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in South Africa, eight years after Virgin Mobile introduced its services over domestic cellco Cell C’s network in mid-June 2006. TechCentral reports that the MVNO, branded MRP Mobile, is using MVN-X’s mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) platform, and also leverages Cell C’s network.

At the end of May 2014 Steve Bailey, the former CEO of Virgin Mobile South Africa, launched his MVNE business – MVN-X – to help pave the way for the introduction of new MVNOs into the South African market; at that time the executive noted that he had a ‘large, well-known South African retailer’ lined up to launch operations, and it now transpires that Mr Price was the company in question.