International Premium Rate Numbers

What International Premium Rate Numbers does

International Premium Rate Numbers, trading as Mediatel (legal entity Sound Advertising T/A Mediatel), is a London-headquartered telecoms consultancy founded in 1986 that provides micropayment solutions to Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and content providers. The company's core offering centers on International Premium Rate Numbers (PRN) and Premium Mobile Numbers, supported by voice wholesale, international SMS, and data-roaming services that enable MNOs to monetize subscriber traffic and content providers to bill end-users through existing telecoms infrastructure. Mediatel describes its work as generating incremental revenue without introducing additional cost to the operator, using proprietary micropayment mechanisms developed over more than three decades of industry presence.

The business operates an enterprise, consultative go-to-market: bespoke programmes are designed for each MNO and content-provider client, with direct engagement delivered through six regional offices in London, Hong Kong, Delhi, Malaga, Kiev, and Cairo. The website supports six languages, signaling a deliberate international orientation across Europe, Asia-Pacific, South Asia, Eastern Europe, and MENA. Revenue is generated through transaction fees on the micropayment flows it routes and settles, though pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled on a quote basis per engagement. The company is privately held with no external investment, parent company, or stock listing identified.

Despite a global office footprint, the disclosed headcount is only 5 employees, suggesting a lean operating model that relies on a small core team supplemented by relationship-driven execution. No certifications, patents, awards, customer logos, or management team details are publicly disclosed, and the most recent verifiable website copyright date is 2019. The competitive position rests on long-standing carrier relationships, proprietary billing know-how, and multi-continent delivery capability rather than on a scalable software platform.

Name

International Premium Rate Numbers

Legal name

Sound Advertising T/A Mediatel

Website

https://mediatel.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mediatel is a London-based telecoms consultancy, founded in 1986, that provides micropayment solutions via International Premium Rate Numbers and related voice, SMS, and roaming services to Mobile Network Operators and content providers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Services

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Communications Management (CCM) & Transactional Messaging (MPAAAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

SMS & Mobile Direct Marketing Services (BPAFAKAI)

Keywords

• Premium rate numbers
• Telecoms consultancy
• Micropayment solutions
• Voice wholesale services
• Mobile billing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Micropayment Solutions for MNOs: Provides micropayment mechanisms enabling Mobile Network Operators to monetize traffic and generate incremental revenue from content providers without additional cost. Works with voice, SMS, and Data Roaming services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mediatel provides International Premium Rate Numbers (PRN), Premium Mobile Numbers, Voice Wholesale, and International SMS Services, bundled with proprietary micropayment mechanisms that enable Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to monetize traffic and content providers to bill end users through existing telecoms infrastructure. Programmes are tailored to each client's unique challenges with a consultative, long-term partnership approach for revenue stream development.

Product overview

Mediatel operates as a telecoms consultancy offering a unified portfolio of micropayment solutions centered around International Premium Rate Numbers (PRN) and Premium Mobile Numbers. The core offering integrates voice wholesale and international SMS services, all working together to help MNOs maximize traffic potential and create incremental revenue streams for content providers. The company tailors each programme to individual client challenges, providing collaborative, long-term strategic support rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Premium Rate Numbers (PRN) Premium rate telephone numbers used for micropayment solutions, enabling content providers to monetize their services through voice and SMS traffic on Mobile Network Operators' networks.
• Premium Mobile Numbers Specialized mobile number services for premium rate applications and micropayment mechanisms, targeted at telcos and content providers seeking mobile billing solutions.
• Voice Wholesale Wholesale voice traffic services for Mobile Network Operators seeking to maximize traffic potential and create incremental revenue through premium rate voice termination.
• International SMS Services SMS messaging solutions for international traffic and premium rate applications, enabling content monetization and operator revenue streams via SMS.
• Micropayment Solutions Innovative payment mechanisms that enable content providers to monetize services through existing telecoms infrastructure, creating incremental revenue for MNOs without additional cost.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sinch: Large CPaaS provider offering messaging, voice, and operator-led monetization services. Comparable in the messaging and operator-monetization layer but operates at much broader scale across many channels beyond Mediatel's PRN/voice focus.
• Infobip: Global CPaaS platform with operator partnerships and direct carrier billing capabilities. Overlaps with Mediatel's international SMS and content-provider monetization services, but as part of a much broader omnichannel communications portfolio.
• Twilio: Leading cloud communications platform providing messaging, voice, and digital engagement APIs. Adjacent to Mediatel's telecom-based messaging and content monetization services, though Twilio operates at vastly larger scale across many channels.

Direct peers

• BICS: Global wholesale voice and mobile data carrier serving MNOs with international connectivity and messaging services. Directly comparable to Mediatel's voice wholesale and international SMS offerings for telecom operator clients.
• IDT Corporation: International voice wholesale and messaging services provider with global MNO relationships. Comparable to Mediatel in international voice termination and SMS services for telecom operators.
• Boku: Direct carrier billing platform enabling content providers to monetize via MNOs. Most direct comparable to Mediatel's micropayment solutions connecting content providers with telecom operator billing rails.
• Fortumo: Direct carrier billing platform (acquired by Ericsson) that enables app and content monetization via telecom operator networks. Directly overlaps with Mediatel's core micropayment-mechanism value proposition for content providers.
• Clickatell: Mobile messaging and communications platform offering SMS, WhatsApp, and carrier billing solutions. Comparable to Mediatel's international SMS services and content-provider monetization offerings.
• iBasis: Wholesale international voice carrier (KPN-owned) providing global voice termination and messaging services to MNOs. Closely overlaps with Mediatel's voice wholesale and traffic-maximization business for mobile operators.

Others

• Lyca Mobile: Global MVNO operating across many of the same geographies as Mediatel (Europe, Asia, MENA) with international voice and SMS offerings. Functions as both a potential MNO client for Mediatel's wholesale services and an adjacent participant in international telecom services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Mediatel_intl
• Facebookfacebook.com/mediatel.intl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-premium-rate-numbers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Premium Rate Numbers