Another mobile operator in the UK?

A company called Mapesbury Communications Ltd has announced that it has signed a deal with Spectrum Interactive (UK) for the rights to broadcast a GSM service from payphone kiosks.

It says that this will be the start of a new mobile phone service called UK01. According to Magnus Kelly, the CEO of Mapesbury, the agreement is, “an important milestone as it accelerates our ability to launch the UK’s 6th mobile phone network.”

Can this really be the 6th mobile operator? Does having the ability to send out a signal from ‘hundreds’ of phone boxes really mean we can start talking about a national operator?

If you sign up with UK01 they will send you a new SIM card, which once inserted into your phone, and once you are close to a UK01 location, allows you to make calls. There’s not a lot of information on the website, but the advantages of signing up with UK01, are described as:

“When you begin using the UK01 service not only will you be able to make fantastic savings on the calls you make, you will also receive your very own UK01 phone number.”

However, I did notice one very big disadvantage too – “When you leave the UK01 location simply change SIM cards.”

This means no roaming between networks as yet and, from what we can see, a very small network to use. Anyone else want to join me hanging around phone boxes to get cheaper calls?