Tuenti facts for kids
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| Private, Limited | |
| Industry | Internet Software Telecommunications |
| Founded | 22 February 2006 |
| Founder |
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| Headquarters | |
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Area served
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Spain Peru Argentina Ecuador Guatemala |
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Key people
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Pablo Ledesma (chief) |
| 21,000,000 EUR (2014) | |
| Owner | Telefónica |
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Number of employees
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180 (2016, approximation) |
Tuenti Technologies, S.L.U. is a company that offers mobile phone services. It works as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) under the brand name Tuenti. This means Tuenti uses the network of a bigger phone company, Telefónica, instead of building its own.
Tuenti is a tech company from Spain. It focuses on providing services through its own app and website. These services are cloud-based, meaning they are stored and accessed online.
Tuenti started in 2006 as a social networking service. It quickly became super popular among young people in Spain. Between 2009 and 2012, it was the top social network there. With over 15 million users, many called Tuenti the "Spanish Facebook".
In Spain, Tuenti used to offer mobile phone service. However, this service ended on June 1, 2022. Customers with contracts moved to O2, and those with prepaid plans moved to Movistar.
In other countries like Peru and Argentina, Tuenti still offers its brand through Telefónica. Tuenti's app allows users to make free VoIP calls and send instant messages.
Tuenti's Journey
Tuenti began as a social network in 2006. A group of friends in Spain started it. The main founders were Zaryn Dentzel, Felix Ruiz Hernandez, Kenny Bentley, Adeyemi Ajao, and Joaquín Ayuso de Pául. Zaryn Dentzel first came to Spain as a student. Kenny Bentley, the main programmer, had worked on social networks in the United States.
At first, Tuenti was only for university students. But it became so popular that they opened it to everyone. For a while, you needed an invitation to join. Later, it became fully open, even globally. The company has had over 250 employees from many different countries.
The name "Tuenti" sounds like the English word "twenty." But it actually comes from "tu [id]enti[dad]," which means "your identity" in Spanish.
In 2009, Google listed Tuenti as one of the fastest-rising global searches. By 2011, it was estimated that over 15% of all web traffic in Spain was on Tuenti. This was more traffic than Google and Facebook combined in Spain at that time!
On August 4, 2010, a big phone company called Telefónica bought most of Tuenti. They bought 85% of the company's shares for 70 million euro. This made Telefónica the biggest owner of Tuenti.
That same year, Tuenti started to develop its own mobile phone service. It worked using Telefónica's network. In December, this new service was launched for social network users under the name "Tu."
By November 6, 2013, Telefónica owned 100% of Tuenti. They bought the rest of the company from the other owners.
Tuenti launched its mobile service in Mexico, Peru, and Argentina in 2014.
In 2014, Tuenti reported that its mobile service brought in 98% of its money. The company made 21 million euro that year, which was 25% more than the year before. This showed that the mobile business was growing fast.
In 2015, Sebastian Muriel became the new CEO of Tuenti. During 2015 and 2016, Tuenti changed its look and focused even more on mobile services. They completely updated their website, removing all the old social network features. Telefónica also made changes to the management team. Sebastian Muriel and the social network team moved to Telefónica's innovation department. Pablo Ledesma became the new director of Tuenti.
Mobile Service in Spain
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| Developer(s) | Tuenti Technologies |
|---|---|
| Operating system | iOS, Android |
| Type | VoIP, Instant Messaging |
| License | Proprietary |
Early Days of the Service
Tuenti launched its mobile service, called "Tu," in 2010. Telefónica supported this project. They wanted to reach the young people who used Tuenti's social network.
In the beginning, signing up for "Tu" was free. But there were some rules. You needed an invitation from someone who already had the service. Also, you could only get a new phone number; you couldn't keep your old one from another provider. The service was only available as prepaid. Tuenti would mail you the SIM card for free.
The plans offered changed a few times. At first, they had weekly, biweekly, or monthly plans. These plans focused on calls, SMS, and free access to the social network after you added money to your account. About a year later, they started offering plans where you paid after using the service.
Official Launch
On February 15, 2012, the company officially launched "Tuenti Móvil." They stopped using the name "Tu." This official launch brought new plans. They also removed the invitation system, so anyone could sign up. A month later, they launched postpaid plans for everyone.
A year later, Tuenti improved how "Tuenti Móvil" worked with its social network. They added a feature called "ZEROLÍMITES." This was meant to make the brand more appealing to customers. At this time, fewer people were using the social network.
In 2014, Tuenti started to build its own mobile network in Spain. They also gained recognition as a mobile operator by the ITU. In July, they launched "VozDigital." This allowed users to make calls from the Tuenti app even if the person they were calling did not have the app.
Mobile Service in Other Countries
Mexico
On June 26, 2014, Tuenti officially launched its mobile service in Mexico. They celebrated at Campus Party Mexico and gave away 2,500 SIM cards for free. This helped them get feedback from users.
However, in July 2016, Tuenti quietly stopped its service in Mexico. Customers were moved to Movistar. Tuenti's social media pages for Mexico were also removed. The CEO of Tuenti said that the results in Mexico were not as good as they hoped. This was because one company controlled most of the phone market there.
Argentina
Tuenti replaced another Telefónica brand called "Quam" on November 18, 2014. From then on, users in Argentina could use Tuenti's mobile app to manage their services.
Peru
In October 2014, Peru became the third country where Tuenti launched. Peru was also the first country outside Spain to get "VozDigital." This feature allowed customers to make calls to any phone in Peru using the Tuenti app and an internet connection.
Ecuador
Tuenti launched in Ecuador on May 29, 2015. They had an advertising campaign called "Libérate," which means "free yourself."
Guatemala
The brand launched in Guatemala on June 22, 2017. They had a big advertising campaign called "Sin Pajas" and used #SinPajas as their main hashtag.
Tuenti as a Social Network
Tuenti was once the most popular social network in Spain. It had all the usual features of social media sites. Users could create a profile, upload photos and videos, and connect with friends. It also offered chat, the ability to create events, and tag locations. Unlike many other social networks, Tuenti did not use annoying banner ads. They wanted to respect user privacy.
Over time, many users left the social network. Some important features were also removed. The company then decided to focus on being a mobile phone operator instead. Keeping the social network running was no longer making money.
On February 1, 2016, some information was leaked from old employees. They said the social network was about to close. Just a month later, the company updated its mobile app and website. This update removed almost all social networking features, except for the chat. Users were also given a limited time to download their old data. Tuenti encouraged users to try new features like "VozDigital" for free calls using their current phone number.
See also
In Spanish: Tuenti para niños
- Comparison of instant messaging clients
- Comparison of instant messaging protocols
- Comparison of VoIP software
- List of most downloaded Android applications
- Mobile VoIP
- Unified communications
