Thursday, January 31, 2013

Who is Ryan Wuerch

By Mogie Patton


The last Motricity CEO Ryan Wuerch is getting back within the wireless game with all the upcoming release of Solavei, a cellular virtual network operator with an uncommon company model that will use its consumers to tout its $49 per month unrestricted voice, text and information strategy to their buddies and earn added cash in the process.

The MVNO will operate on T-Mobile USA's GSM network. Customers will pay a $49 startup fee and then $49 per month for service. They can use their existing unlocked GSM smartphones or purchase an unsubsidized device from Solavei, which will range in price from $160 to $500. The first device is the HTC One, but the company will also sell a model from ZTE.

The service is currently in beta mode with about 2,000 users. Another 12,000 people have signed up to join when Solavei officially debuts at the end of September.

In accordance with Solavei's Head of Products Jim Ryan, yet another former Motricity executive and also the previous vp of information at AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T), the basic benefit proposition for the business is the fact that individuals are totally hooked on information, yet data keeps obtaining more costly. "We saw this being an possibility. How should we do this better than a mobile service provider?" The conclusion was to get rid of some of the costs by not providing mobile phone subsidies, reducing customer care costs by delivering the ability online, and acquiring rid of marketing and advertising costs by having the consumers sell the service to their friends. "We will establish a social marketing community that appreciates individuals engagement," Ryan said.

That involvement from clients is what makes Solavei not the same as other low-cost MVNOs. Since the organization relies upon consumers to register other clients, Ryan said Solavei will spend each client $20 for each and every "trio" or three consumers that they register. Consumers will also get paid if the folks they sign up then enroll other individuals.

Ryan said that the company plans to target the 70 million or so prepaid subscribers currently in the U.S., but he also sees opportunity in other areas, such as people who are coming off postpaid contracts. In addition, he expects some people will even break their contract with their existing operator once they realize that they can potentially earn back the money they lose from breaking their contract by referring Solavei to their friends.

Solavei is well funded, having only sealed on its second round of funding; the organization is worth greater than $120 million. It also has a high-profile board of advisors which includes David Limp, v . p . of Amazon, John Miller, chief electronic digital officer at News Corp., and Sue Nokes, the former COO of T-Mobile USA.




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