Blyk, a UK free mobile service provider is set to launch now. As stated on their landing page, those who text the ‘JOIN’ to 82595 will get the invite code to be sent by Blyk. Basically, the services Blyk offered to the UK people are the free calls and text messages. They aimed to become the UK’s first free mobile network and currently targeting at the 16-24 year old demographic. In penetrating this market, they give their users that are in this group of age 217 free text messages and 43 minutes of free call each per month, as the research showed that this amount is the average monthly usage of a 16-24 year old. If the free minutes and texts have been consumed for the month, users have the options to top up the services. Since the first 217 texts and 43 minutes are free, what Blyk asked in return every month is the maximum of six advertisements per day to their phone from Blyk brand partners, including Xbox, Adidas and Coca-Cola, and many more.

Blyk’s notion was to hep the younger generation save money instead of pay for their phone bills. Why pay for calls and texts when you can get them free is the biggest appeal to this 16-24 group of people. The UK CEO of Blyk, Shaun Gregory3 said, “We believe in free communications and Blyk is bringing this to young people in the UK. If you apply these savings across the whole of Britain’s 7 million plus 16-24 year old population, and specifically 7,056,0004 mobile phone owners, that’s a colossal saving of over £1.98 Billion per year. That’s a lot of cash that can go right back into the pockets of the UK’s young people.”

Blyk was co-founded by Pekka Ala-Pietilä and Antti Öhrling in 2006. It has offices in Helsinki, Finland and London. First target market is in UK, with other European markets to be expanded in the future.