Tucows Acquires Roam Mobility from Otono Networks

TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tucows (NASDAQ: TCX ) (TSX: TC ) today announced that it has acquired Roam Mobility from Otono Networks. Roam is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) operating on the same nationwide GSM network as Ting Mobile.

“When we look at other services in this space, we tend to admire the ones that have solved a specific problem for a specific target. Roam has done a beautiful job for Canadians who travel to the United States,” explained Elliot Noss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tucows. “With their rate plans, user experience, messaging and even SIM card distribution, they have established themselves as the obvious choice there.”

The acquisition includes three Roam brands that will each continue to operate independently alongside Ting within Tucows’ mobile network access group. There will be no changes for either Roam or Ting customers. The three brands and their specific focus areas are:

• Roam Mobility, offering prepaid roaming replacement plans to travellers visiting the United States for a few days or a few weeks, as well as Snowbird plans for Canadians spending the winter in the United States.  
• ZIP SIM, backed by a quick, automatic activation process and straightforward rates, helping international business travelers get quickly connected when visiting the United States.  
• AlwaysOnline Wireless, powering short-term, on-demand LTE data plans for hotspots, tablets, and iPad with Apple SIM.  As one of the first consumer eSIM-enabled providers on the planet, AOW has had innovation at its core from the beginning and its global roaming footprint has helped it connect customers in over 90 countries including the United States, Canada and the U.K.

Noss added, “We get well-positioned brands, smart product features and a lot of knowledge and skill. Meanwhile, these brands join a business that is investing every day in growth.”

Tucows also adds two new international wireless carrier partners to its existing relationships in the United States, enabling support for global data on iPad with Apple SIM.

Revenue from the Roam businesses will start contributing to Tucows financials toward the end of September. However, it is not expected to have a material impact on overall company performance.

“We are thrilled to have found a home for our consumer brands that shares our commitment to customer experience and our passion for building great products,” said Emir Aboulhosn, Chief Executive Officer of Otono.  “As we now accelerate our shift and increase our focus towards innovation for eSIM enablement and orchestration, we are also excited to begin building new capabilities for Tucows and Ting.”

Tucows will also be partnering with Otono for eSIM enablement and will utilize the Otono Platform in the near future to bring greater device support to Ting. eSIM allows mobile users to more easily choose mobile networks and switch between networks on their tablets and wearables. Otono is at the leading edge of this shift from traditional SIM cards to eSIM. Ting expects to announce more details on eSIM support in the coming months.

About Tucows Tucows, Inc. is a provider of network access, domain names and other Internet services. Ting (https://ting.com) delivers mobile phone service and fixed Internet access with outstanding customer support. OpenSRS (http://opensrs.com) and Enom (http://www.enom.com) manage a combined 29 million domain names and millions of value-added services through a global reseller network of over 40,000 web hosts and ISPs. Hover (http://hover.com) makes it easy for individuals and small businesses to manage their domain names and email addresses. More information can be found on Tucows’ corporate website (http://tucows.com). About Otono Otono Networks, Inc. is a leader in eSIM enablement and orchestration solutions for any device or mobile operator worldwide. The comprehensive cloud-based Otono Platform is the leading platform for anyone deploying eSIM-based devices to their network. It is able to seamlessly integrate with any existing mobile architecture to remove the complexities of eSIM implementation. Otono can provide the necessary middleware to complete integration and launch eSIM-enabled devices with significantly reduced risk, time to market and without major changes to existing networks. For more information about Otono, visit otono.com.

This release includes forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements regarding our expectations regarding our future financial results. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Information about other potential factors that could affect Tucows’ business, results of operations and financial condition is included in the Risk Factors sections of Tucows’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements should be evaluated with the understanding of their inherent uncertainty. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Tucows as of the date they are made. Tucows assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

Contact: Lawrence Chamberlain (416) 519-4196 lawrence.chamberlain@loderockadvisors.com