Mobile virtual network operator Kajeet has announced that it will no longer be providing wireless service as of August 23rd of this year. It also indicated in its official website that it has already ceased activating new sign ups. As for current subscribers of the MVNO, the company has inked an agreement with another MVNO, TPO Mobile. Existing customers can continue to activate their service at TPO, receiving their first month for $0.01.
In its website, Kajeet had stated that:
“In order to expand our mission in the growing education market to help kids succeed in school, we will close our cell phone business on August 23, 2017. As of today, we will no longer activate phones on Kajeet. Service for existing customers will end on August 23, 2017. You have until Aug. 23 to move your mobile number to a wireless carrier of your choosing. To help make this simple for our customers, we have partnered with TPO Mobile who will offer competitive rates, outstanding service, and give Kajeet customers the first month for 1 cent. We are thankful to the thousands of devoted parents who chose our cell phone service to safely connect and communicate with their kids over the years. We look forward to making a difference in the lives of school children for years to come.”
Among the MVNOs currently operating today, Kajeet was one of the few that focused on serving parents who wanted to avail of a mobile service for their kids. So what will the company be doing next after August 23? As reported by Fierce Wireless, Kajeet is looking to keep on offering its education driven business. The company happens to have over 375 existing partnerships with various academic institutions and districts, with the overall aim of delivering wireless broadband services for low income students.
As an MVNO, Kajeet leases network capacity from major US wireless carrier Sprint. Not only did the carrier offer basic mobile services geared for kids and teenagers, it also allowed parents to exercise some control with regards to their children’s mobile usage. Apart from its wireless plans, Kajeet had also offered a kid friendly mobile hotspot, as well as an LTE transmitter built specifically for buses used by schools.
Kajeet had operated for nearly a decade and a half, which is an impressive achievement for an MVNO. Per Crunchbase’s numbers, the carrier raised almost $93 million in funding, and relatively recently, it had generated over $18 million in venture capital about six years ago.
