MVNOs seem to be seeking the shelter of big incumbents. Or is it the other way around? Incumbents buying the brands built by MVNOs and internalizing cost along the way? I suspect it is the latter but the economics would work either way…
Anyway, along these lines, Bell Mobility, the Canadian incumbent carrier, announced today that it has acquired Virgin Mobile Canada (or rather the half it did not own already) for Can$ 142m. This follows the acquisitions of Virgin Mobile UK by NTL and Virgin Mobile Australia by Optus. And, continuing the above theme, Bell also announced that Virgin will continue to operate under its own “unique wireless brand with special appeal to young Canadians”. There you have it.