Walt Disney revealed plans for its second MVNO, Disney Mobile. As reported previously, the service gives parents the option to take strict control of their children's mobile phone usage. One feature is a GPS tracking app that allows parents to know the exact location of their child, or at least their child's cell phone. As Red Herring notes, location-based services have long summoned the specter of "Big Brother," but a family-friendly brand like Disney pushing for it to better protect kids is a huge win for the technology. The commercial launch of the MVNO service is set for June. Disney's other MVNO uses the ESPN brand for sports fans.
The talk around MECCA yesterday suggested MVNO services would be met with lukewarm fanfare. I even heard from one reliable source that one of the major MVNO's that has launched in the past few months only has about 22,000 subscribers so far. While the MVNO shakeout is inevitable sometime this year or early next, their emergence is still important. I'll have more on the Disney Mobile MVNO tomorrow.
For more on Disney's newest MVNO:
- see this article [1] from Red Herring
Links:
[1] http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=16404&hed=Mickey+Goes+Mobile§or=Industries&subsector=Communications