Telcel Is Being Folded Into Simple Mobile

Telcel America is no more. The brand has announced that it is folding into Simple Mobile.

Telcel America was first established in 2012 and it is one of over half a dozen Tracfone owned wireless brands. Telcel originally carved a niche for itself by offering international service plans highlighted with the tagline "One plan. Two countries. One service." The plans worked in both the USA and Mexico. Plans also included international calling to landlines and mobile phones in select locations. But Telcel's service eventually came to be a bit redundant. Its sister brand, Simple Mobile, offered and still offers all the same features that Telcel did plus more. Simple Mobile customers actually get international roaming in 16 Latin American countries including Mexico. Simple Mobile is also a top-selling brand among wireless dealers a spot Telcel never made it to. Both brands also operate over the T-Mobile network. And for those reasons, it comes as no surprise that Tracfone has elected to consolidate the two brands.

Telcel's website homepage now informs its users that "Telcel customers will soon be a part of the Simple Mobile family," and "start enjoying more at no extra cost to you." There is also a "Learn More" about this change button available on the page but it does not seem to lead anywhere other than to a list of Telcel phone plans. But I would be surprised if it impacts too many people. Telcel seems to have been neglected by Tracfone for a long time.

It's going on 5 years since Telcel last posted anything on a social media channel. They couldn't even be bothered to make a proper "learn more" button on their website to inform subscribers and potential subscribers of the upcoming change. The brand hasn't even been marketed in ages. Contrast that with some of Tracfone's other brands like Straight Talk Wireless, Simple Mobile, and Total Wireless, which are regularly advertised on national TV and the radio. Those other brands are also sold in national retail stores like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. Telcel was not.

Tracfone has several other brands that seem long forgotten and perhaps a bit redundant. GoSmart Mobile is still around as is Page Plus Cellular. Those brands could also be consolidated into other and larger Tracfone brands. Perhaps that will happen to make things cleaner for Verizon if regulatory agencies allow the company to go through with its Tracfone acquisition.

“Telcel America had been fading for a long time in dealer surveys by Wave7 Research, so the end of the brand is not a shock. Thus starts the pruning of Tracfone’s brand portfolio, which is likely to be hastened once Verizon assumes control. GoSmart Mobile and PagePlus Cellular are two other brands not getting much attention. Not enough was done to differentiate the Telcel America brand.” -Jeff Moore, Principal of Wave7 Research