Lyca Mobile chief’s company develops UK’s first eSIM-only network ‘Slice Mobile’

A new eSIM only MVNO called Slice Mobile owned by Lyca boss Allirajah Subaskaran’s company Paraspara has launched offering talk, text and data plans on the EE network. 

Slice Mobile was conceived by gffgaff founder and ex-CEO Gav Thompson Like giffgaff, Slice Mobile is using the “community-powered” approach where customers, or “members,” are encouraged to engage in various aspects of the business, such as customer support, marketing, and development of new ideas.

Thompson worked with Subaskaran on the project but resigned on August 21 as a director of Paraspara after a difference of opinion on the direction and funding of Slice Mobile, according to Campaign magazine.  He has been replaced as a director by Lyca deputy chairman Prem Sivasamy

Slice Mobile is currently in its early release – and will be opening doors to its founding customers gradually. Founding customers qualify for up to 20 per cent of cashback on their annual spend. Activation and plan management is done entirely through the Slice Mobile app or website. 

Subscribers who convert from the 7 day Free Trial to a paid plan by November 19 2024 will be entered into a prize draw to win a £30k house deposit.

Customers are being offered four core contract-free monthly rolling plans that include unlimited talk and text, as well as data packages and EU roaming. Plans will start at £10 per month and come with a free 7-day trial.

Rob Brock, Product Director at Slice, said, “We are very excited to start letting founding customers through the doors and getting the Slice app into their hands. Our vision has been to develop a network that evolves effortlessly with the dynamic needs of mobile users.

“A key decision early on was to make Slice an eSIM only mobile network. With the eSIM market rapidly expanding and our audience’s growing demand for sustainable and instant connectivity options, the move to eSIM was a clear and natural choice for us.

“At Slice, our mission goes beyond delivering exceptional connectivity and a seamless app experience—we’re committed to breaking down barriers for customers who want to engage with us as their mobile network. We view our customers as co-owners, empowering them to actively co-create and shape the network and its features, ensuring it becomes the network they’ve always envisioned. In return, we’ll reward them with things they actually want to own. Our ultimate goal is to establish a community where there is no distinction between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ but rather a single community of ‘us’.”