­Vodafone UK’s wholesale division has agreed a joint venture with Cognatel, a new mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA). The venture will give MVNO easier access to Vodafone’s mobile network backed by flexible billing and CRM solutions.

According to Cognatel, its end-to-end, fully hosted, solutions will reduce the time it takes MVNOs to get to market on a proven pre-payment platform and ensure that they have the right processes in place to ensure long-term success.They can also dramatically lower the cost of market entry for new MVNOs by eliminating the need for expensive upfront investment in new technology and allowing MVNOs the freedom to focus on shaping and marketing their offer.

According to Tim Stone, Director of Business Development and Wholesale, Vodafone UK, the partnership with Cognatel strengthens Vodafone’s MVNO portfolio and maintains the company’s focus in an area which offers excellent opportunities for everyone involved.

As per Mark Ashdown, Cognatel CEO, Cognatel can help brands reach new and niche markets by helping them create and manage their own mobile presence. The company will work with them at every stage from verifying their initial proposition through to supporting the final market implementation. And Cognatel can move quickly so that they can launch their branded mobile offer within weeks, rather than months.

Cognatel has also collaborated with DIGITALK to offer MVNOs the reassurance of market leading real-time billing and CRM tools that will them to achieve a much higher customer return and retention by providing the highest possible service.