The move follows KPN’s acquisition of the company’s Dutch operations
Belgian broadband and MVNO Youfone, which buys wholesale services from Proximus, has announced it is rebranding as Yoin after KPN finally received the “all-clear” from the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) to taken over Youfone’s Dutch operations. The name change will be official on 15 April.
The rebranding further suggests KPN intends to continue using the Youfone brand in the Netherlands. At the close of that deal KPN intimated that was the plan anyway: “The Youfone organization will continue to operate independently within KPN to ensure that current and future Youfone customers are served in the way they are familiar with.”
Youfone began its life in 2008 in Rotterdam. In 2021, Proximus signed a wholesale agreement with Youfone, which at the time claimed to be the largest independent operators in the Netherlands with over 400,000 customers, for mobile services. That number has risen to 580,000 today but this figure is just the Dutch subscribers, not the Belgian side.
In parallel, the two also signed a wholesale agreement for fixed internet access, allowing the Dutch operator to add fixed services to its mobile offers, which the operator began in April that year.
No changes to its offers
In a statement, Youfone/Yoin said: “You can also expect the many benefits you received at Youfone at Yoin. You can still use the friend service. You and your friend will both receive a €10 discount on your next invoice. The MyYoufone app was also given a new look and is now the MyYoin app. The app gives you a clear overview of your usage and invoices and you can set a calling and data limit.”
The operator is already one of the cheapest in the Belgian market and looks like it will continue on that path, suggesting that with its current 50% off for three months offers, the cheapest subscription at Youfone starts at €5 per month.
It is unclear whether the Youfone cows (above) will reappear as part of the new branding.
Benelux shakedown
KPN’s acquisition of Youfone and the subsequent rebrand of the independent Belgian operations to Yoin marks the second big rebranding in the region. Last September, T-Mobile Netherlands and Tele2 Mobiel adopted a new brand as independent Dutch brand Odido. The telco’s brands Simpel, Ben and Tele2 Thuis also fall under Odido and continue to exist. Odido has more than 2,000 employees and 119 stores in the Netherlands.
That rebranding followed the telco’s acquisition, in September 2021, for more than €5 billion by private investors Apax and Warburg Pincus. T-Mobile took over all of Ben’s shares in 2002 and later merged with the Dutch branches of Orange and Tele2.
In July last year new MVNO Undo announced it was partnering Orange Belgium to offer its climate action focused brand in the market. Undo’s mobile packages start at €10/month and include 20 GB/500 minutes/100 SMS, plus “2kg of CO2 to compensate” as part of carbon offsetting.