With SK Telecom’s Helio MVNO talking to Virgin Mobile over possible merger or buy-out deals, it seems an odd move to actually shutdown much of Helio’s operations throughout the US.
But, we’re hearing that the negotiations between Helio and Virgin Mobile aren’t exactly making waves. Add to that the rumor that Virgin Mobile is planning to back out from the deal altogether unless Helio declares bankruptcy or liquidates their assets in a big way, and the recent move to shutter the doors to many retail stores starts to make sense.
Helio seems to be dead in the water from a financial stand-point, and unless they can work out some sort of deal with Virgin Mobile (which these store closures may or may not affect), SK Telecom’s huge investment in the US market is looking like a huge mistake.
If Helio does indeed go belly-up and isn’t absorbed by Virgin Mobile, we’ll see the last true MVNO finally folding its cards.
[Via: Gizmodo]