Veon’s Unitel (a.k.a. Beeline Uzbekistan) launched on Tuesday a “digital-first operator” service called OQ that will target digital-natives with “integrated digital experiences”.
Users who acquire an OQ SIM card or eSIM can download the OQ mobile app to set up their account. From the app, they can choose their own number and construct their own plan – i.e. voice minutes, SMS and mobile data. They can also choose entertainment content options to go with their plan.
Users can then verify their identity remotely using biometric identity verification – which Veon says is a first in Uzbekistan’s mobile market. After that, they can pay online. OQ says the process takes about one minute.
"OQ offers an entirely new level of user freedom,” said OQ head Abdulaziz Mansurov. “We believe that OQ will transform the traditional telecommunications market in Uzbekistan and create a new way for digital native users to engage with digital lifestyle.”
The integrated media services on offer include access to streaming music on Stingray online radio and licensed films from Uzbek cinema with no additional charges. OQ says the media content in the app will be constantly updated, while content created exclusively for OQ is also in the pipeline.
According to Telegeography’s CommsUpdate, Uzbekistan MVNO Humans has already done something similar since its arrival in 2020. Humans offers integrated mobile/app/fintech/online marketplace services, and has over 1 million active mobile SIMs and over two million regular users of its digital ecosystem.
