New Singapore telco pays you blockchain tokens for unused data

A new telecommunications startup is launching in Singapore on September, targeting professionals, managers, executives, and technicians (PMETs) as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with its blockchain-powered feature.

Photo credit: Gorilla Mobile

Gorilla Mobile said it will offer the country’s first service-on-demand model, which allows users to access text, call, and data plans without contracts and subscription fees. Its proprietary SwitchBack feature also turns unused data into redeemable non-expiring Gorilla Go Tokens on its app.

“A lot of PMETs are now working from home and are mostly wired or connected by Wi-Fi. So usage on mobile data has dropped a lot because nobody is going out,” Xanne Leo, founder and CEO of Gorilla Mobile, told Tech in Asia. “You can use [the tokens] to redeem other services, like international direct dialing calls or travel roaming data, or you can share it with your team members, your family members, or your friends.”

This blockchain-powered feature was originally created for travelers, as Gorilla Mobile was initially a travel SIM card company that provided connectivity in 61 countries.

“Typically, business users buy bigger traveling roaming data packages, but they’re not using everything. And maybe their trips are cut short and they jump to another place,” said Leo. “So we created SwitchBack for them so that when you have unused data roaming data, we can convert it back to a digital asset.”

But the Covid-19 pandemic forced the startup to scrap that launch last year and accelerate its plans to become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), tweaking global features to suit local mobile users in Singapore.

Southeast Asian push

With US$3 million in seed capital and a target of US$5 million for its series A round, Gorilla Mobile is eyeing expansion in Southeast Asia, initially in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. It is also planning for Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in the long term. But for now, it’s working on gaining ground in Singapore.

“The PMET market size is about 2.5 million workers, and we have about 200,000 SMEs in Singapore,” said Leo. “In the first year, we are looking at probably 1% to 2% of the market share. I would say that is a good percentage to start with.”

Gorilla Mobile currently has a 15-person team in Singapore and three employees in Thailand, with plans to boost its headcount to 50 to 100 across Southeast Asia.

It is also looking into tapping local partners in the region for SIM distribution. While most processes can be done digitally in Singapore, many of its neighboring countries still rely on offline transactions.

“It is really important to look for ground partners who have the locality expertise,” noted Leo, who added that this is a crucial asset for distribution partners.

Gorilla Mobile is initially offering a S$25 contractless plan for its pre-launch. It comes with 100 minutes of call time, 100 text messages, and 20 gigabytes of local mobile data.