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    Lyca Mobile spends £250 million on three year journey to be global brand

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    New content, deals and services launched on IBM and SAP platforms

    UK-based Lyca Mobile (LM), the world’s largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) is investing in a £250 million expansion scheme planned for the next three years.

    LM, part of the Lyca Group, is best known for cheap international call rates but it’s now  building a reputation as a digital service provider. It plans to develop a new set of differentiated products, content and services. The £250 million investment in Lyca Mobile comes on top of £200 million invested across the Lyca Group companies, which include healthcare, finance, travel, and entertainment businesses. 

    The £250 million investment will fund a new infrastructure including launch platforms and cloud services, the recruitment of content partners and marketing projects that will target virgin territories across Africa, Asia and Latin America. The £250 million war chest will also fund a fresh modern brand identity.

    A ‘state-of-the-art technology platform’ will be built in collaboration with IBM and SAP, who will transform LM’s existing systems into a cloud model in order to maximise service delivery. Details of the content collaborations were not released but involve ‘globally renowned consumer-focused media platforms’. 

    LM is making a significant investment in developing a 4G network in Uganda – a market that reportedly has been abandoned by mobile operator Africell. 

    Lyca offer could entice roamers

    The new brand identity will be designed by Clear M&C Saatchi, with the new look and feel being rolled out across the Lyca Group of companies. A £25 million multi-channel advertising campaign will run across TV, radio, out of home, digital and in-store activity. 

    Lyca Group CEO Navanit Narayan said it was time to transform the business and take its services to a wider audience. “Covid-19 expedited the emergence of a new set of consumer mobile behaviours and values,” said Narayan, “customers expect more diverse, differentiated and value-added services – and there’s a real opportunity for us to deliver exactly that as we look to grow our market share in the UK and beyond.”

    The mission is to attract new customers and demonstrate the benefits of partnering with Lyca Mobile to global mobile network operators, said Narayan. 

    As a taster LM announced an ‘aggressive’ offer in the UK –  50GB of data, unlimited calls and texts and 100 international minutes at £12 for 30 days with the option for ‘gifting’ parts of their allowance to friends and family.

    Lyca Mobile is the world’s largest mobile virtual network operator, operating in 23 countries across five continents – including the UK, USA and large parts of Europe.