Local telecom entrepreneur Peter Adderton is bringing his latest venture to the global stage.
Irvine-based MobileX, a no-contract wireless service provider, is ramping up for U.S. and European expansion with the addition of two C-suite execs: Peiti Feng as chief marketing officer and Michael Lanzon as chief sales officer.
Both Feng and Lanzon are alumni of Boost Mobile, which Adderton founded in Australia in 2000 before he expanded it to Irvine in 2001. U.S. Boost in 2004 was acquired by Nextel Communications, which itself was bought by Sprint Corp. a year later.
Adderton sought to buy Boost back from Sprint in 2019, but it was ultimately sold to Dish Network Corp. (Nasdaq: DISH) for $1.4 billion.
Adderton’s new venture, MobileX, launched earlier this year and is “the first truly customizable platform, which significantly brings the cost down for consumers,” Adderton told the Business Journal.
The startup has raised $6 million to date through debt and equity.
OC Ties for New Hires
MobileX’s new CMO counts several Orange County ties.
Feng is a former vice president of marketing at Weedmaps, whose Irvine-based parent company, WM Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: MAPS) provides information on the cannabis industry.
She previously led communications planning at Fountain Valley-based automaker Hyundai Motor America.
Feng also worked for Boost, as senior director of brand strategy and marketing.
Lanzon, like Feng, also held roles at several OC-based companies.
He most recently worked as senior vice president of global sales at Foothill Ranch-based Red Digital Cinema LLC, the maker of professional digital still and motion cameras founded by Jim Jannard. He also served as chief sales officer of 360fly, an Aliso Viejo-based maker of 360-degree cameras.
Going Abroad
Feng and Lanzon join MobileX as it targets the U.K. and European markets.
Adderton launched MobileX in February; two months later the firm hired Mohammed Malique to lead the company’s expansion into the U.K. and Europe.
It aims to eliminate international roaming fees and provide low-cost international calling and messaging options.
“If I buy a gigabyte in America, why can’t I use that same gigabyte in the UK, Italy, Spain and all the other markets?” Adderton said.
MobileX expects to bring its service abroad by the end of the year.
AI-Driven Data Plan
MobileX’s app-based service aims to save users money by utilizing artificial intelligence to predict how much data customers need.
“Our AI is constantly watching your usage patterns,” Adderton said. “Every month, it’s recommending new, cheaper plans that better reflect your usage, which is the opposite of what other carriers try to do.”
The company offers plans that start at around $5 a month for about 1 gigabyte of mobile data.
Users that average about 8GB will pay $15 to $20. Those who want 15GB or 30GB will pay $20 and $25, respectively. Both plans include unlimited talk and text.
