New UK Mobile Operator Rewild Mobile Launches with a Focus on Nature
At present it often seems like a new eSIM (Embedded SIM) based mobile operator is launching almost every other week and today it’s the turn of Rewild Mobile, which says they’re “operating on the Three UK & Vodafone network” and intend to put any profits they make back into “rewilding nature“.
In such a crowded market, it often helps if you’re doing something a bit different from the pack, even if that might sometimes be viewed as a gimmick. “Rewild was built in response to a mobile industry that customers no longer trust. Complicated pricing, poor service and a focus on extracting profit have left most people frustrated with their mobile network. Rewild takes a different approach, building a simple, high-performance network and using its profits to fund rewilding projects around the world,” states the announcement.
At launch it appears as if Rewild Mobile’s primary UK plan is an unlimited data, calls and texts tariff that is priced from £18.50 per month on a 24-month minimum term (12-month and 30-day contracts are available at extra cost). The plan also includes support for EU roaming (20GB fair use data cap). But the provider’s Price List suggests that 4GB and 10GB UK data plans may launch in the near future.
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In terms of pricing, the provider states there will be “no surprise increases. You pay the price you sign up to, and we will always be clear and upfront if anything changes in the future“.
Rewild’s Director, Anne Johnson, told ISPreview:
“We built Rewild to do exactly what it says: to rewild nature. The mobile industry feels extractive and disconnected from the real world. We wanted to prove you can build a serious tech business that does something genuinely good for the planet.
We are completely focused on building a high-performance network, but we are equally focused on where the money goes.”
Like many other virtual eSIM-only providers, Rewild Mobile states that they’re also “building a travel essentials SIM, launching soon in over 180 countries. The SIM connects to multiple local networks in the UK and internationally, including Three, Vodafone, EE, O2, AT&T and T-Mobile“. All the profits from that will also go to rewilding.
However, the T&Cs also mention a Fair Use Policy (FUP), which states that customers of their unlimited plan can use “up to 4,000 UK call minutes, up to 2,000 UK text messages (SMS) [and] up to 750GB of UK data per month” (other mobile operators have a similar clause for unlimited data, albeit not always calls and texts). But those who “repeatedly or significantly” exceed this are told that their service may be restricted in some unspecified way or “paused“.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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A 30 day unlimited Sim 25.00/month
That wont make me move from Smarty on a Group Plan, currently paying £16.20/month
They’re cheaper than Vodafone I’m paying £37pm need to switch to someone else
Will Rewild genuinely enable users to freely roam (i.e. select manually) between Vodafone and Three? The way it’s worded would suggest so? Is anyone able to confirm if Rewild would have access to the full mobile spectrum of both networks please?
I like it. While other mobile networks are pocketing millions in profit each year, it’s good to see a new network giving it all back to nature. It’s something I haven’t seen before. Rooting for them. The travel SIM looks interesting and sounds similar to Honest Mobile.
“Rewild takes a different approach, building a simple, high-performance network”
(We didn’t build any network at all)
“and using its profits to fund rewilding projects around the world”
(But we do greenwashing. It’s easy to reduce the profit by increasing the directors’ salaries)
Surely salaries will have to be published. Give them some credit nobody else is pledging all their profits to the planet. This will be a really cool brand if they get it right it is giving me giffgaff startup vibe
They won’t be donating all their profits no matter what they say in their marketing. I believe they won’t pay dividends, easy because there’s only one shareholder who is also the sole director and can therefore take a salary, but a company must also spend their profits on future operations, investment and contingency. Usually the dividend is by far the smallest allocation from net profit! Unless the founder is a multi-millionaire willing to bankroll the company indefinitely without a return they will fail if they give away all their profit – but maybe they are!
Giffgaff unlimited £25pm, Vodafone £48pm (Crazy prices), O2 £25pm, VOXI £30pm. Rewild £25pm dropping to £18.50pm on 24m sounds too good to be true. How are they cheaper than the big boys?
Id mobile unlimited 16 £ / month first 6 months 8£ ,no price up in April.
So is “Focus on Nature” eSIM-only, or will they power their entire infrastructure using renewables, meaning it could, for example, be down at night?
Last night, two-thirds of the country’s electricity came from renewables (wind). Like it or not, this country is predominately powered by renewables and low-carbon sources.
@BenInLondon, no, not 2/3 but ~50% Let me know when it will be 100% then any business in the country will be focused on nature.
Except businesses which burn gas for heating, or which use fossil fuels for transport.
Only about 1/6th of the UK’s total energy consumption is in the form of electricity.
The stats from National Grid are public, so everyone can see. Either way, even at a minimum of 50% it shows renewables can be used to power the grid overnight. And more capacity is being added all the time.
And yes, electricity is a percentage of our energy use. Unless you are proposing directly powering phone towers directly on gas, I don’t see your point. A single tower uses about 5-10kW, so added up there is a fair amount of energy being used.
I was partly interested until I saw that their rewilding projects are all international, and almost all in the usual places, such as the Amazon. Given the political climate there, illegal deforestation, and various other issues, it’s like spitting in the wind.
Call my cynical, but these days I’m almost solely interested in projects at home. We have our own natural environmental needs, especially where “rewilding” is concerned.
I’m not one of those who think bleak hills and mountains are “pretty”. I find them atrocious.
And even here, in this otherwise enlightened society, you have pushback to this.
So, apologies, but this is another fly-by-night MVNO with a gimmick that contributes nothing meaningful to this country.
Why do we need anymore trees in the UK? There are places in the world that need them more. Plus our country is doomed
I reached out to them and they will be doing rewilding work in the UK which is positive. They are developing their travel SIM which is international so it makes sense that they are doing environmental work worldwide
So you find hills and mountains are atrocious, knock ‘em down and build some to your satisfaction. 🙂
@Jackson99: “Plus our country is doomed” = Hysterical hyperbolic hogwash.
@TelcoKyle96: “they will be doing rewilding work in the UK”, how?
So there ‘unlimited’ plan is really a ‘750GB’ plan.
All mobile networks have a fair use cap mate GiffGaff is 650GB for example Unlimited does not actually mean unlimited but running up 750GB in a month is next to impossible lol
@TelcoKyle96 not all networks have limited data. As the article states, Rewild are an MVNO on VodafoneThree:
Three (obviously part of VodafoneThree now) have unlimited data with no limits.
Voxi (Vodafone owned, Vodafone MVNO) are unlimited and state that they will only take action if your use is affecting other users.
There are people that will use that much data as phones have become their primary internet access device for streaming films, Youtube and the like.
I think you’ll find that there was a ruling some years back, that legally defined unlimited as unlimited, when related to data allowances. It is not acceptable to hide behind FUPs.
If its 750GB then say it’s 750GB, not unlimited but….. I remember a few years ago I was on a 3 unlimited 3G plan then they blocked you using WiFi hotspot on your phone.
The roaming between is now a feature on both networks since the merger. My Vodafone sim roams to three.
Generally it’s not as simple as that. If you have good coverage from the network you’re actually on (e.g. I’m on Lebara which is Vodafone) and it isn’t congested, you aren’t likely to see a connection to the other network. MOCN is weird frankly and I’ve heard about people having zero luck with it whatsoever.
I’ve not had much luck with it. Using a Three SIM it seems to want to use a weak signal from a Three tower that is quite far away. But I’m 150m from a Vodafone tower! I think it’s a case of if you have absolutely no signal it will use the alternate network infrastructure. Which helps in rural areas, but it doesn’t mean you are getting a free boost if you can see both networks.
Talkmobile 1 month rolling sim/esim, unlimited data, some inclusive roaming, £16 month !
T&C’s seems confused over price increases
The publicity sales pitch quotes “We aim to keep our prices fair and transparent. If we ever need to increase prices, we’ll give you plenty of notice and you’ll always have the option to cancel if you’re not happy.”
However the terms has two clauses:-
“11.1 All our plan prices may increase each April by CPI + 3.9%, in line with common UK telecom practice.”
“11.2 If you are in a minimum contract term, this increase still applies.”
These are contradictory and the word “may” just adds to the confusion. I also thought the CPI+xx% was no longer allowed.
Also the terms also have a clause 7.3 “Roaming outside of the EU/EEA is charged at the rates published in our Price List.” Unfortunately that part of pricing is conspicuous by its absence.
The price increase part is worrying.
In the words of Barbara from Bristol “What, another one”.
My personal opinion is that it’s refreshing to see a mobile network doing something different for a change. Most companies that pop up feel the same, but Rewild genuinely seems to be trying a new approach. Putting all profits back into the planet is something I’ve never seen before. Is anyone else doing this? I really hope it works out for them and that they grow into a major player like Lyca or Lebara.