Pride Wireless, the first lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) mobile services provider to launch in the U.S., started services on 11 October, which is National Coming Out Day. The company marched on that day in the 45th Annual Atlanta Pride Parade to show its pride and officially “flip the switch” to begin its service for new subscribers, announced Patrick Adams, founder and CEO of PRIDE Wireless. The company was founded for LGBTQ people, their friends, family and others who want to switch to a wireless company that advocates for and commits to a giveback program benefiting the LGBTQ community. Pride Wireless promises “fabulous” customer support and competitive pricing. The company’s flexible family plan will allow subscribers to create their own “family of choice,” providing savings for all types of LGBTQ families.

Through the Pride Wireless giveback plan, subscribers will be able to go online and choose a non-profit organization from a broad list that support LGBTQ health, safety and equality. The chosen organization will receive an initial US $10.00, then 2.5 percent of the subscriber’s monthly service plan fee thereafter. In addition, non-profit LGBTQ organizations that want to receive an additional 2.5 percent can do so by promoting and signing on Pride Wireless subscribers through their organization, giving them a possible 5 percent total. Funds will be automatically distributed quarterly to each recipient organization, and continue as long as the subscriber remains with Pride Wireless, or until the subscriber chooses a different organization to receive their contribution.

Tarifica’s Take

MVNOs tend to do best when targeted at a specific demographic, and this LGBTQ-oriented offering fits that paradigm very well. By including in its service plan contributions to causes that are vitally important to many if not all of the potential subscribers, Pride Wireless stands to create and reinforce a sense of community and loyalty among subscribers. Also, the “family of choice” concept extends the family plans offered by most operators to the kinds of non-traditional families that are prevalent, of necessity, in the LGBTQ world in the U.S. Finally, Pride’s strategy of using LGBTQ activist organizations to help it do its marketing (by offering a bonus percentage of contributions in return for singing up customers) seems to us to be a very good one.