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Telco adds 130,000 customers by taking over MVNO; will continue to use Lebara brand.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) boosted its customer base on Tuesday by agreeing to acquire Lebara Australia.
Lebara is an MVNO that specialises in low-cost international calls. It has operations all over the world; its Australian arm has approximately 130,000 customers. Last year it launched Lebara Play, an OTT video-streaming service, and this summer it began offering 4G services. It also offers an international remittance service, Lebara Money.
"Lebara Mobile has established a market-leading niche, enabling migrant communities to stay connected with their loved ones abroad, particularly through very competitive and award-winning international mobile calling," said Dan Lloyd, chief strategy officer at VHA, in a statement.
The company has been hosted by VHA’s mobile networks since its launch in 2009. As such, "we expect a seamless transition to the new arrangement," he said.
VHA has also acquired the right to use the Lebara brand in Australia, so little will change for customers, Lloyd explained.
"It will also be business as usual for all of Lebara Mobile’s employees, and customer service agents, who will continue to provide care to Lebara Mobile customers via existing service channels," he added.
"With the corporate resources of VHA behind it, we expect the Lebara Mobile brand to become an even stronger force in the Australian mobile market," he said.
Financial terms were not disclosed; Lebara Money and Lebara Play will continue to be operated in Australia by Lebara.
