14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this year, Google unveiled its mobile virtual network operator plans dubbed Project Fi. We also heard that Apple might be looking to do the same thing, but nothing new about the matter surfaced online as of late.
Well, today, Xiaomi hosted a press event in China during which we saw the Mi4c affordable flagship make a grand debut into the wild. But on top of that, Xiaomi surprised everyone by debuting two prepaid wireless plans to mark the beginning of its efforts as a mobile virtual network operator or MNVO, reports Reuters.
The smartphone maker will go on to compete with the country’s national carriers. That’s quite a huge challenge Xiaomi has embarked itself upon.
Like Google, Xiaomi’s MNVO will "harvest" network capacity from other established carriers and sell mobile plans under their own umbrella. For the time being, these endeavors have failed to rise to success in China, but given that Xiaomi has a good position in the country, things might soon change.
Introducing Mi Mobile
Xiaomi’s new wireless business is called Mi Mobile and will offer data services. It will utilize either China Unicom or China Telecom’s network to conduct its affairs. There’s no information as to when Xiaomi will start selling mobile plans to interested customers, but we guess that the company will start throwing dates soon enough.
In related news, the Mi4c is probably going to be one of the first smartphones that will be covered by Xiaomi’s MNVO plan. The device comes with a 5-inch Sunlight Display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor under the hood, just like the LG G4 flagship. Xiaomi will give customers the choice between 2/3GB of RAM and 16/32GB of internal storage.
The Mi4c benefits from the services of a 13MP/5MP camera combo and takes advantage of a 3,080 mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0, plus a USB Type-C port. As we told you before, users will be able to continue to use microUSB for charging and data transfer if they choose to.
The entry-level model is expected to cost around $203 / €181.