Lebara Mobile to enter German market

Low-cost international mobile services Lebara Mobile has announced the establishment of a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement with Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Mobile Deutschland, Germany’s leading wireless network operator by subscribers. Under the agreement, Lebara will enter the German mobile market through the launch of pre-paid services over T-Mobile’s network. Lebara’s services, which are available in eight other countries, are aimed at customers who frequently make international calls, in particular at international communities who need to maintain close links to family and friends back home. ‘The German market is strategically important to Lebara,’ the company’s CEO Yoganathan Ratheesan noted, adding, ‘Not only is it Europe’s biggest market, but it continues to demonstrate organic growth. Despite a busy competitive environment, we believe that our segment of the market remains underserved and we are confident that we can replicate the success we have demonstrated in other European territories.’ With Lebara’s pre-paid SIM card international calls start from EUR0.04 (USD0.06) per minute, while national calls are charged at EUR0.15 per minute and text messages cost EUR0.15. Lebara Mobile was founded in 2001 as part of the Lebara Group and currently has 2.5 million active mobile customers worldwide.