Amp'd Mobile

About Amp'd Mobile

Amp'd Mobile was a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) launched in the U.S. in late 2005 and Canada in 2007. The company was co-founded in 2004 by Peter Adderton, Mike McSherry, and Seth Cummings. Adderton previously founded the successful youth-focused MVNO Boost Mobile.

The company targeted the 18-to-35-year-old demographic with a business model centered on mobile entertainment rather than traditional voice services. Operating on Verizon's 3G EV-DO network, Amp'd Mobile offered voice, text, and data services alongside its core feature, "Amp'd Live." This application provided access to a wide range of downloadable and streaming content, including video-on-demand, live events, music, and games. Strategic partnerships with major entertainment companies like MTV Networks, Universal Music Group, and Electronic Arts supplied a rich content library. One notable success was the animated series "Lil' Bush," which originally aired on Amp'd Live before being picked up by Comedy Central, marking a historic transition from a digital platform to television.

Despite raising over $360 million in funding from investors including Intel Capital and Qualcomm, the company faced significant operational and financial challenges. Issues included a high customer churn rate of 7-8% per month, poor billing infrastructure that resulted in as many as 80,000 of its 175,000 subscribers being non-paying, and an unsustainable cash burn rate. These problems led to mounting debt, including a significant amount owed to its network provider, Verizon. Amp'd Mobile filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 1, 2007, and ceased all services by the end of July 2007 after failing to secure a buyer. Following the shutdown, some assets were acquired by other companies, and competitor Prexar Mobile offered service transitions to former customers.