Roll out the bunting: easyMobile has first sniff of success!

easyMobile, the ‘no-frills’ (and, reportedly, no-clientele) discount mobile venture launched in March by entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou, finally has something to smile about after triumphing in a long-running feud with UK retailer the Carphone Warehouse and its Fresh subsidiary cellco. easyMobile was upset when Carphone registered a website entitled ‘easiermobile.com’ on the day it rolled out commercial services. Visitors to easiermobile.com were greeted by a photograph of a Fresh-branded aeroplane. easyMobile argued that the site was intended to confuse customers looking for its own ‘easymobile.com’ address. It’s a claim that the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) agreed with and this week the arbitration body ordered Carphone to transfer ownership of the domain to Stelios’ outfit.

easyMobile was launched in March as a cheaper alternative to the UK’s major network operators O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange. Its business model requires customers to buy a SIM card via the easyMobile site and insert it in their existing handset. The company’s approach threatened to spark a mobile price war and shake up the mobile sector. However, this has so far failed to materialise and the operator’s boss, Frank Rasmussen, has been busy deflecting criticism of the venture’s failure to make a dent in the market. ‘It’s laughable the way Carphone Warehouse is going to extremes to defend their market share,’ said Rasmussen following the WIPO’s ruling. Carphone chief Charles Dunstone has defended easiermobile.com, telling the Daily Telegraph that the site recorded just 500 visitors. ‘From what I can gather, there are not many people visiting easymobile.com either,’ he sniped.