MVNO shakeout at hand

This year is supposed to be the Year of the Launch for the new generation of mobile virtual network operators, the time when these MVNOs get on their feet and begin to gain traction in the wireless race. With several high-profile MVNOs already launched, others well on their way and still more promising to get in the game soon, the marketplace is becoming increasingly crowded-even as Sprint Nextel Corp., arguably the most MVNO-friendly of carriers, says it doesn't intend to add many more companies to its roster. Analysts expect fallout in the much-hyped MVNO space, and so the question becomes whether MVNOs are dashing headlong toward a gold rush-or off a cliff. With various MVNOs targeting ethnic markets and different age demographics, the skepticism often seems to be rooted in the fact that the majority of the fledgling players seem to be targeting a similar demographic: the young, cool, tech-savvy and content-hungry audience of 18-to-35-year-olds, presumably with money to burn on wireless services.....