Tucows, the parent company behind Ting has just acquired a Canadian MVNO, Roam Mobility from Otono Networks. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Roam Mobility specializes in providing service for Canadian snowbirds, ie, those that travel from Canada to the USA for the winter. The brand operates as a T-Mobile MVNO.
Tucows acquisition of Roam Mobility also included the sale of two other Roam brands, ZIP SIM and AlwaysOnline Wireless.
ZIP SIM specializes in offering international business travelers short term phone and data only plans, that last anywhere from 7 to 30 days. Coverage is also provided through the T-Mobile network.
AlwaysOnline Wireless is another brand that targets international travelers. The MVNO offers data only SIM plans that can be used in 90 different countries. Plans are billed by the hour, by the day or the MB for up to 15 days of usage.
Tucows plans to continue to operate each brand independently of one another. This should help the company gain more international exposure.
Revenue from the deal is expected to have minimum impact on Tucows bottom line, and should start to kick in by the end of September.
What's most interesting about this deal, is that Tucows will be partnering with Otono for their electonic SIM (eSIM) platform. eSIMs differ from traditional sim cards in that eSIMs are integrated chips that are built into a device that cannot be removed ((Pocket Lint)). Otono's platform allows for the remote handling, activation and provisioning of the eSIM with the desired operator or carrier profile settings. By using an eSIM as opposed to a traditional SIM card, Tucows says that Ting subscribers will be able to more easily switch between different networks on their tablets and wearables. This will also allow Ting to be able to provide support for more devices.
Since Ting operates as both a T-Mobile MVNO and Sprint MVNO the provider should be better able to integrate the two networks together for its customers that have eSIM enabled devices.