Mobal Communications

Mobal Communications are a telecommunications company that are an international cell phone and satellite phone service provider. The UK division is named Mobell Communications, and in Japan they trade as Mobell Communications. Mobal also operate a US domestic service named Mobal Freedom which offers its US customers a local service with the same benefits as its international services. Mobell was founded by current chairman Tony Smith, a lifelong international traveller who had difficulty keeping in touch while travelling overseas.

Early history

Mobal (under the name Mobell) was created in the mid 1980s from a UK company called Torrent. Torrent was an industrial tool rental company serving the construction industry. When cellular phones first became commercially available Mobal started renting these to construction companies to use on work sites.

The decision was made to sell off the tool rental business called Torrent, and form a new company to focus purely on renting cell phones. This new company was called Mobell.

Becoming international

As cell phones became more popular, different operating technologies were developed around the world, like GSM, CDMA and D-AMPS. This started to create problems when people traveled and still wanted to use their cell phone. If it was the wrong technology for the country they were visiting, it would not work.

Mobell started to specialize in providing cell phone rental for international travelers visiting countries where their own cell phones would not work.

Mobell expanded with a branch in New York - called Mobal Communications, as well as a branch in Tokyo.

In July 2008 Mobal Japan opened up a counter in Tokyo’s Narita International Airport. Located by Departures in Narita’s Terminal 1, the counter claims to provide "flexible mobile communication solutions" for business travellers and tourists alike.

Expanding into satellite phones

When satellite phones became commercially available, Mobal added these to their product range, allowing travelers to remote locations or in disaster zones to still keep in contact. These advances have led to journalists and reporters being able to communicate even in war zones or areas where standard cell phones won't work.

The present

Today Mobal continue to focus on selling international phones to travelers, satellite phones to remote travelers and offer a range of services to provide both holiday makers and business travelers the ability to communicate while abroad.

Mobal has now expanded its product base into offering a low cost, no contract cell phone service for Americans.

External links

• Mobal US official site
• Mobell UK official site
• Mobell Japan official site
• Mobal Narita Airport official site: [1]
• Mobal Freedom Cell Phone Service