Miguel Cordon · · 1 min readSG probes Gorilla Mobile over temporary suspension of services
Singapore authorities are probing blockchain-powered telecom firm Gorilla Mobile – a startup built by a founder with a questionable track record – over the sudden suspension of services, Today reported.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) told Today that under Gorilla’s licensing terms, the company has to secure approval from the government body before ceasing services.
Gorilla reportedly sent out an email to users informing them of “the discontinuation of our local mobile plan” effective January 31, according to a Vulcan Post report.
As of January 20, a note on Gorilla’s website says the company is “undergoing technical improvements” to roll out an e-SIM service by the end of the first quarter. The firm urged customers to “migrate to another provider” due to ongoing upgrades.
See also: Gorilla Mobile CEO’s past, blockchain issues throw monkey wrench into its plans
Gorilla announced its launch in Singapore in June 2021. Its services were considered novel at the time, as it offered a blockchain-powered feature that turns unused data into Gorilla Go Tokens. In June 2022, US-based Society Pass acquired Gorilla in an attempt to drive the “growing demand for a new meta-economy experience” in Southeast Asia.
However, further investigation from Tech in Asia revealed that Infinitus – the previous startup of Xanne Leo, Gorilla’s founder and CEO – had vanished after raising US$2.5 million in 2018.
One of Infintus’ blockchain advisors, Ronald Aai, had also allegedly defrauded Taiwanese investors out of US$30.32 million via one of his projects.
Editing by Thu Huong Le and Eileen C. Ang
(And yes, we’re serious about ethics and transparency. More information here.)
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