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Global Verge wins $43 million lawsuit against mystery MVNO Zer01
When we first heard about Zer01 it was set to launch at a time when other MVNOs were disappearing. (Remember Amp'd Mobile, or Helio?) Zer01 was pledging unlimited voice and data for just $69.99 a month, before most other carriers had their $99 plans, but ultimately never delivered a thing. Apparently Global Verge was similarly left in the dark, but unlike the rest of us it had invested $170,000 in Zer01 in exchange for selling wireless services as part of its multi-level marketing company. Global Verge had been allowing its "e-associates" (people who pay for the right to hawk Global Verge's wares) to shill for Zer01 wireless, which of course never delivered a single call. There are accusations flying fast and frantic about which of the two companies is the worst offender here, but the District Court in Clark County, Nevada at least believes that it's Zer01 reneging on its promises, awarding $43 million to Global Verge for breach of contract and various other legal wrongdoings. Congrats, GV, and good luck collecting.
Zer01 Mobile's a nomad, will roam with a variety of carriers
It won't make much of a difference to the end user -- all they'll care is that they're getting unlimited voice and data for under $70 a month -- but it turns out that Zer01 Mobile's upcoming VoIP-based service won't be using AT&T alone to provide service. Instead, it'll have service agreements in place with a number of GSM carriers -- nationals and regionals alike, we'd imagine -- in an effort to keep its costs low. Because all voice calls will travel over VoIP instead of GSM or UMTS proper, it seems like things could get a little dicey if you find yourself on a crappy EDGE (or worse yet, GPRS) connection, but hey, just keep telling yourself: "$69.95."
