Helio’s Newest Device Revealed
8/13/07 – Several mobile phone industry news sites are reporting that Westwood-based mobile phone and service provider Helio will soon begin offering a new phone from Samsung, called the Fin, to its subscribers. The device is apparently going to be the thinnest “clamshell” type phone on the market, and will include a 3-megapixel camera.
The last major device launch for the Helio service came with the debut of the company’s popular proprietary Ocean device in May.
Helio operates in the difficult mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, market, where the company does not own wireless spectrum, but leases it and resells the basic phone service from mobile phone companies. MVNOs like Helio offer value-added services on top of the basic phone service. Companies that have tried and failed in the space include Disney’s ESPN, and most recently, bankrupt Amp’d Mobile.
Despite the fact that earnings reports from investors SK Telecom and EarthLink have shown that Helio has lost a ton of money, the company has found some success through its Ocean phone and has reported impressive average revenue per user, an important measurement if the company is going to survive.
Pictures of the new phone can be found now on SlashGear.
Helio, founded in 2005, is a joint venture of Atlanta-based Internet service provider EarthLink and South Korea’s SK Telecom.
Helio – www.helio.com
