British mobile virtual network operator Ovivo shuts down unexpectedly

Ovivo Mobile, a virtual operator in the UK that offered a free mobile services in exchange for serving advertising, has closed down abruptly due to “reasons beyond our control.” A notice on the company’s website announces that the service shut down on March 19 with no prior warning. Although it doesn’t elaborate on the reasons behind its shuttering, it does provide a way for users to port their number to another mobile network.

British firm Ovivo mobile has shut down without warning, citing “reasons beyond our control” in a posting on its website. Ovivo was a mobile virtual network operator that allowed customers access to Vodafone’s network for no monthly fee. It funded operations by advertising, which users agreed to view every 10 minutes. Ovivo customers immediately took to web forums to express outrage. Most were upset that the firm did not warn customers, and even allowed some purchases to go through as late as Wednesday afternoon. Users reported that mobile phone services had been shut down, and that they could not access their accounts on Ovivo’s system to retrieve unused credit.