TDS Telecommunications said today that it will launch a nationwide mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service through a partnership program offered by National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC).
The service, called TDS Mobile, will initially be offered for TDS Telecom’s internet customers in many of its service areas. The company will begin notifying those who are eligible soon about the coverage by a national 5G mobile network.
TDS, which is headquartered in Madison, Wis., has agreed to work with Reach, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider that focuses on launching network-based services.
“We are excited to add mobile to our portfolio as we continue to deliver on our promise of offering reliable, high-quality products and services to our customers,” TDS Telecom Chief Operating Officer Shane West said in a press release. “TDS Mobile will feature big-carrier coverage from your neighborhood internet service provider — at a price you’ll love.”
It’s not a surprising move, considering that TDS plans to sell its existing mobile business to T-Mobile. Offering mobile service via an MVNO would be a logical replacement plan.
The NCTC announced that it would work with AT&T to help its members get into the MVNO game in April 2023. At the time, the NCTC said that it would offer customized onboading and the ability personalize more than 200 touchpoints “throughout the mobile customer lifecycle.”
The initiative has been met with some success. Last July, NCTC president and CEO Lou Borelli told Telecompetitor that 60 members were in the process of being onboarded. Reach, the company that is working with TDS Telecom, was a vendor to the program from the beginning.
The NCTC deepened the offer in February with a collaborative partnership with Vertex Wireless under which members would have access to “an extensive” mobile device portfolio, and access to supply chain services, fulfillment, mobile device testing and other services.
The NCTC has about 700 member organizations.
TDS Telecommunications, a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems Inc., provides high-speed internet, TV entertainment, and phone services to 1.2 million connections in small to mid-sized urban, suburban and rural communities.
