A couple of advertising buyers have ratted on Blyk, telling NMA the UK ad-supported free MVNO has amassed just under 28,000 subscribers since September. One said the concept was “over-hyped”, another said customer numbers needed to be plenty higher; “doing a campaign is more hassle than it’s worth”.

UK MD Shaun Gregory’s response (via NMA): “If people are obsessed about just the figures then they don’t get it. Blyk is about engagement and dialogue with consumers.” The operator, which gives free calls and SMS to 16-to-24s who agree to get mobile ads, is targeting 100,000 subscribers after its first year so still has plenty of time to make up the missing 72,000. It’s clearly prizing modest growth and demographic targetability over big-bang roll-out - tension arises when advertisers want more eyeballs, however.

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