Major, Unnamed Carrier in Talks to Buy FreedomPop

sometime i do get these sort of things. why would a carrier want buy freedom pop(or any MVNO) instead of simple adapting a business model that can offer a similar product.

There are a number of reason, including they get an existing customer base and have less competition, without the capital investment in setting up a new system and they still want to run it as a independent entity so they do not dilute the value and reputation of their brand with a low cost service. I also hate to state the obvious but since it is a sprint mvno and their customer base uses Sprint gear, I would lay 10 to 1 odds the major carrier is Sprint.

Only Sprint would buy Freedompop, they ride on the Sprint network. Any other carrier and it wouldn't make sense. Freedompop has contracts as an MVNO with Sprint.

I like Freedompop, and hope they don't sell. Sprint won't keep the free plans.

Free is good.

TracFone would.

No offense but you've never obviously run a business. Yes why would someone buy an existing business that would save tons of money in start up costs and not have to split the potential customer base with someone else?

i actually have built and run multiple business(its the only thing i have ever done, i have never had a job working for anyone else) to be honest my friends who have taken over existing business have mostly failed compared to those who have built them from the ground up.

If you actually ran a business then you would not have asked your question. let me ask you this, would your business make more or less money if you had no or little competition compared to having a lot of competition?

Just recently Sprint purchased rights to Zact software and in effect shut down Zact MVNO from operating using their priority software which allows a customer to choose small chunks of data, voice, text (Build your own plan). VM is now using this model.

This will be very interesting to watch. See if they make the free service less useful.

I could also see a gsm carrier buy Freedompop. Didnt Feircewireless do an article on FP that they were interested in partnering with a GSM carrier as well? Again, it's mostly customer base one would be buying in this transacation. Websites and software can always be modified to handle the carrier chosen.

And why.

If it's another MVNO- it would be TracFone.

It said MAJOR carrier, not a MVNO.

TracFone would be a major carrier. Carriers are also MVNOs- the same as CLECs that resell are still carriers.

Tracfone is not a carrier. Carrier means has your own network, towers etc etc. MVNOs are leeches that bash teh carriers that graciously let them have spectrum that will take money out of their pockets. Only in the USSR or wait were in America. supposedly

Why not Republic Wireless? They are a small MVNO and this could allow them to expand offerings? Just a thought..

That's too bad, but it make sense. Sprint has bought various companies that resell their product like Virgin Mobile and Boost. As a Freedompop user my fear is that the "free" part will go away..

It's amazing someone would pay for such a hack of a company. Man, this social media showman who runs FP knows how to snooker people. It seems they have a ton of interns, which makes it easier on not having to pay people. This company royally sucks!