One of the key areas of focus is the burgeoning Mobile Virtual Network Operator  (MVNO) business – a cell phone service that does not have its own licensed radio frequency allocation or necessarily have the full infrastructure normally required.

“Sports clubs have a big potential to become MVNOs,” says Mis Guleryuz, sales director, NTT Technology Solutions, a company that offers contactless technology hardware, software and project management. “Turkish sports clubs have a high number of very loyal supporters who would do anything for their club so they are a natural fit. There are several big clubs that have huge numbers of supporters including Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor, which are all either examining or taking the route of becoming MVNOs. The club’s representatives say their main reason for establishing MVNOs is to attract revenue from their supporter sources.”

However, regulatory and financial challenges are threatening to spoil the party. According to Hakan Demir, general manager, Fenercell, to get round them the clubs are forming pre-MVNOs rather than fully fledged operations. “This is because the double taxation that applies to an MVNO is a major discouragement to becoming a licensed operator,” he says.

Fenercell is the telecoms offering from Istanbul soccer giant Fenerbahçe which operates on the Avea network. “The club has fans all over Turkey and beyond,”

says Demir. “We thought they should be part of a big Fenerbahçe communications world, so we needed to build such a world to give them the opportunity to be connected to the club at all times – and the best way for this is mobile communications. Fenercell is a new and interactive platform, offering many benefits, new services and campaigns that unite the club with its fan base and makes them feel special.”

He adds: “The economic model behind Fenercell promises to become a major revenue source for Fenerbahçe, which aims to become one of the leading European sports clubs. Fans that already subscribe to a cell service are now switching to Fenercell to make a financial contribution to their club through what they spend on the calls – money that they would have previously paid to some other operator.”

Fenercell believes that exploiting the club’s hidden potential and harnessing its brand to come up with mobile products will not only grow fan satisfaction but also spawn a valuable business model. “We have two equally important business lines: basic mobile communications services and value added services. We know our fan base well and are tailoring our services accordingly,” says Demir. “The two business lines will support each other to grow the subscriber base and revenues.”

He says the MVNO platform offers the club numerous opportunities to deliver creative services to its fan base. “We have developed an exclusive news service, which is the fastest way for our fans to access genuine Fenerbahçe news,” he reveals. “We have www.fenercell.tv, which provides premium videos from our football and other sports stars. Fenercell provides its subscribers with an exclusive community platform, www.fenerbahceburaya.com. It has also started a campaign with the broadcaster of its UEFA matches.”

The club says there are many more applications in the pipeline and – unsurprisingly for a country Turkish sports clubs go mobile that has been at the forefront of contactless deployments in Europe – a contactless technology service is scheduled for launch very soon.

“Our fans are well aware that for every lira they spend on Fenercell products, they get the full value of their money, enjoy the privilege of carrying their club in their pocket and also making a contribution to their club,” says Demir. “In a chain effect, their contributions through their cell phone will come back to them as a better financed and more successful club.”

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