Ah well, it was good while it lasted. UK ad-funded network Ovivo mobile has closed down. Users had no notice of the move and the first they knew was when their mobile phones stopped working.
It's website now tells customers the closure is "for reasons beyond our control".
Many had predicted Ovivo's downfall. For a flat upfront £20, the company gave users 300 free minutes, texts and 500mb of data for nothing. No monthly payments.
Instead, the company would show adverts when users were browsing on their devices.
There were other deals as well, some involving a small monthly payment, but the majority of users went for the free one.
Observers say it was an unsustainable business model.
Ovivo, which used the Vodafone network, is now offering users their PAC codes so they can transfer their numbers to other operators. Get details here.
Update: It was only earlier this month that the network said it was planning to expand:
Chief executive officer, Dariush Zand revealed the firm’s future development plans to Mobile News. The Vodafone MVNO, which raised £1m in early 2013, delivered its 50,000th SIM to customers in January and it has big plans for the next twelve months.“Now is the time for us to expand the business in the UK, increase our customer base and also begin to look at the possible international expansion of the business going forward,” Zand told Mobile News.
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