Lebara


Lebara is a telecommunications company providing services using the mobile virtual network operator business model in the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland and Australia. Lebara provides pay-as-you-go and contract-based mobile SIM cards in these countries, and its brand is also used under license in four other countries.

History

Lebara was founded in 2001 by UK-based Ratheesan Yoganathan, Rasiah Ranjith Leon and Baskaran Kandiah. The name Lebara was coined from the first two letters of each of the founders' names. At launch, the company's initial product was international telephone calling cards, sold through independent mobile phone shops. In 2004, Lebara launched its first mobile virtual network, a low-cost international service in the Netherlands, selling SIM cards using mobile carrier Telfort, a subsidiary of KPN. After finding success, it subsequently launched operations in other European countries including the UK, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark.
Lebara's Swiss operation was sold on 1 July 2013 to Sunrise Communications.
In September 2017, Lebara Group B.V. was sold to Switzerland-based Palmarium Advisors AG. The Spanish operation of Lebara was sold to MASMOVIL Group in November 2018. In 2019, bondholders of Lebara took control of the company.
Lebara was sold to Waterland Private Equity in August 2024.

Operations

The company currently operates in the UK, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany; as of 2023, it had at least four million customers. It has also entered into brand license agreements for the use of its trademarks in Australia, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia and Spain.
In 2017 Lebara launched its first postpaid monthly contract SIMs in the Netherlands, as part of a move to appeal to a wider customer base.
As of 2017, Lebara focused on the international calling market as well as offering SIM-only plans and post-pay services. Lebara plans to offer 5G services as these become available.
CountryPartner network
Australia

Ratings and reviews

Lebara Mobile has been reviewed for its competitive pricing and international call services, with mixed feedback on customer service and network reliability.