Wireless service provider Visible that Verizon launched in May is meant to signal a strategy shift for the largest telecom giant in the United States, a Visible executive told FierceWireless. Strategy chief Jeremy Bolton revealed Visible operates independently of Verizon despite being fully owned by it and is meant to compete in the mobile service market “from a completely different angle,” taking risks that are traditionally associated with startups and not established corporate powerhouses.
One way in which Visible is planning to clearly differentiate itself from regular wireless offerings comes in the form of its sales plans which are exclusively focused on online storefronts and won’t encompass physical retail outlets, according to the executive. While that approach could limit its reach, it may also allow it to capture a much younger audience than the one its parent does, especially since the company is also adamant to explore social media opportunities in order to boost sales. Likewise, the online-only business approach should allow Visible to reduce potential costs since it isn’t planning on offering live customer care at any point in the future.
While unwilling to provide any specific timeline for the national launch of its service, Mr. Bolton said Visible will soon be adding support for Android devices to its network. The company’s offerings are presently only available to a small number of consumers on an invite-only basis and no devices are being offered with its unlimited plan. Instead, customers are asked to bring their own smartphones to Visible, though Apple’s iPhones are presently the only handsets that work on the network. Visible’s expansion will eventually lead to a wider variety of services but the firm isn’t willing to categorize itself as a prepaid or postpaid business, according to Mr. Bolton. Nonetheless, the subscription-based business model will still see customers pay for Visible’s services before being able to use them but unlike other prepaid arrangements, the new platform is meant to be much more versatile and capable of reacting to user demands in a swifter manner than traditional wireless offerings, including those from Verizon.