T-Mobile MVNO Roccstar Wireless banks on celebrity endorsements

Actor Ryan Reynolds helped Mint Mobile gain an estimated 3 million customers, growth that likely helped position the MVNO for a $1.35 billion acquisition proposal from T-Mobile.

Mint's success is not lost on music producer Leon "Roccstar" Youngblood Jr. and entrepreneur Darius Allen. That's why they founded Roccstar Wireless earlier this year with the hopes of leveraging Youngblood's celebrity connections to grow the MVNO, which is offering services on top of T-Mobile's network.

Reynolds-backed Mint Mobile "was the model in our minds," Allen explained to Light Reading. He said Roccstar Wireless expects to receive endorsements from musicians like Chris Brown, Jennifer Lopez and Melissa Etheridge. Those are some of the musicians Youngblood has worked with. Youngblood counts 9 Grammy nominations, and has appeared on TV shows like "Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood" and "Basketball Wives."

"I don't want to do too much name-dropping," Allen said, but he suggested that those musicians and others are "all willing to jump in and help" promote the Roccstar Wireless brand.

Allen, for his part, helped develop a dual-screen smartphone, the Siam 7x, and also helped launch an MVNO called Fubu Mobile that was connected to Fubu founder Daymond John, who appeared on the TV show "Shark Tank." Allen said Fubu Mobile closed its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There's a need for consumers to get a better value out of their wireless provider," Allen said of Roccstar Wireless, which offers prepaid service plans starting at around $10 per month. 

Allen said Roccstar Wireless will initially focus on online distribution and bring-your-own-device service plans, but is working to expand a physical distribution network across more than 2,000 locations in 150 cities. The company is using Telgoo5 for its billing, activation and customer management services, and currently counts around 35 employees. Allen said the company is preparing to launch a marketing campaign – including TV commercials – starting next month. 

Allen said Roccstar Wireless hopes to gain up to 1 million customers over the next 12 months. He declined to discuss the company's financial situation.

Roccstar Wireless isn't the only new entrant into the US wireless industry. For example, Dish Wireless recently launched its new Boost Infinite brand, startup Light is selling its scaled-down phone with AT&T service, and Humane is offering its AI-powered pin over T-Mobile's network. Decentralized wireless company Helium Mobile – also running on T-Mobile's network – recently launched a nationwide unlimited data offering at $20 per month.

Meanwhile, Mint Mobile just announced a partnership with Oscar Mayer to offer new Mint Mobile customers free bacon. Yes, that is real.