“Sonopia, launched publicly on Apr. 2, promises to turn any group—be it a church, sports team, or nonprofit—into what’s known in industry parlance as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO).
Setup is simple, says Christensen. Working through Sonopia, a group signs up online and can offer wireless service delivered via the Verizon Wireless network and can provide branded handsets and a wide selection of calling packages. Sonopia also lets operators offer personalized content and tailored social networking features such as blogging and photo-sharing.
Adding to the appeal, a would-be wireless provider can register quickly online and Sonopia doesn’t charge a dime. It handles billing, credit management, shipping, and customer support. The sponsoring group gets 5% of the revenue collected from its subscribers. Sonopia shares the remainder with Verizon Wireless, owned by Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group”…. <More>