Cingular Serious About The MVNO Market... Sort Of

Tucked into the bottom of this article about Cingular's ongoing integration with AT&T Wireless is a quick statement saying that the company is looking to move more heavily into the MVNO space -- which isn't surprising. They've really been the only national carrier who hasn't been hyping up something along those lines. Of course, it won't be with cable providers who compete with Cingular's parents. And, at the same time, Cingular doesn't seem entirely comfortable with the concept. The issue with MVNOs is often that they compete with their own network operators, which can make for an uncomfortable relationship. The way that many MVNOs have gotten around this is by targeting more niche audiences untapped by the national operators. However, in discussing the MVNO strategy, Cingular says that they should be able to target those untapped markets itself. So, if you're contemplating an MVNO partner, who do you go with? A company that has shown a willingness to hand over niche markets to partners, or one that has clearly stated it will compete with you?

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