In Holland, student-led mobile provider targets young users

*bliep is a new, transparent, student-led Dutch company that targets young smartphone users with a plan that focuses less on voice and more on text and internet usage.

It’s long been clear that teens have a special affinity for smartphones — hence the cellphone workshops we’ve seen led by teenage teachers, for example. So it’s not altogether surprising to see a new mobile provider launched by a similarly youthful team of entrepreneurs. Sure enough, *bliep is a new, student-led Dutch company that targets young smartphone users with a plan that focuses less on voice and more on text and internet usage. “Young people in The Netherlands are dissatisfied with telecommunications companies,” the young *bliep team explains. “They have had enough of all misleading advertisements, tricks, hidden terms and conditions and unexpected charges at the existing providers.” *bliep, in turn, offers a prepaid SIM card that delivers unlimited internet and text messaging via smartphone for a fixed amount per day. *bliep uses the T-Mobile network, with download speeds of 384 kbps and uploads taking place at 64 kbps — and there’s no extra charge to ping users with BlackBerry Messenger. Pricing for *bliep’s service is EUR 0.50 per day. The video below explains the premise in more detail: *bliep currently focuses on the Netherlands, but it’s a safe bet young people in other parts of the world share a similar view. Would your part of the world appreciate a more transparent telecommunication company?