Bye Bye Blyk. Again.

Are ‘yoof’ targetted MVNO Blyk shutting down in the UK? Yes they are. But then they weren’t. But now they are. We think.

Just before the weekend I wrote that they’d inked a deal with Vodafone in Holland.

Remember Blyk, the ‘yoof’ ad-funded mobile service? Last thing we heard they were rumoured to be shutting up shop – but it turned out they were merely changing direction towards an operator partnership model.

And here we are, a mere two days or so later, and they’re leaving the UK. Here’s a little excerpt from their blog post by co-founder Antti Öhrling:

For now, stick with us for the last month – you’ll continue to receive your free credit until midnight on 26th August and we’ll be bombarding you with great offers, brand messages, competitions and music exclusives.

Though Blyk will no longer be an active network operator in the UK, together we have re-shaped the future of communication and we hope you’ve enjoyed the journey. We certainly have. Blyk will continue to operate in other markets, providing the unique experience to members there in the same way we have in the UK. Thank you for your support over the last couple of years.

So that’s it then folks – move along, nothing to see. If you’re a Blyk customer you’ve got a month to get your PAC code and shift elsewhere. Alternatively, Reuters is reporting Orange (Blyk’s O in the MVNO acronym) have bagged the rights to the customer base – and will be launching a range of tariffs which’ll give you discounts for receiving ads and other marketing blurb.

If you’re tearful farewells, or this is the first you’ve heard of the soon-to-be-dead ad-funded mobile operator, you can re-live Blyk’s greatest moments on MIR here.