What Imowi does

Imowi is a mobile virtual network operator (OMV) in Argentina that delivers prepaid and postpaid voice, SMS, and mobile data services to individual consumers, operated under the umbrella of CATEL (Cámara de Cooperativas de Telecomunicaciones). The service runs as an OMV over Movistar's national radio infrastructure, allowing imowi to offer nationwide technical coverage without owning spectrum or physical network assets, while positioning itself as the fourth mobile service provider in the country and the first cooperative national mobile operator. The core product portfolio consists of short-cycle prepaid plans (7, 15, and 30-day packages) with included voice minutes, SMS, browsing data, bonus TikTok data, and free WhatsApp messaging, alongside a postpaid tiered range from 3GB to 25GB of data with unlimited domestic calls and SMS. Supplementary offerings include eSIM activation via QR code, purchasable data bonuses (1–10GB) on the Autogestión self-service platform, number portability, and SIM replacement.

The business is monetized primarily through subscription recurring revenue from prepaid top-ups and monthly postpaid billing, supplemented by usage-based revenue from international calls/SMS and ancillary data bonuses. Go-to-market is hybrid: a direct-to-consumer layer (website, *303 / 0800-147-0303 contact center, self-service Autogestión portal) complemented by a channel-partner layer in which local telecommunications cooperatives, SAPEM (state-majority companies), PyMEs, and municipalities resell the service and operate local commercial offices across 30+ Argentine localities. Customer acquisition is concentrated in geographies underserved by the three incumbent MNOs, with the cooperative/SAPEM/municipal channel serving as both distribution and a structural distribution moat. Imowi is a private, cooperative-structured entity with no disclosed institutional funding, no disclosed leadership or board information, and no disclosed revenue, subscriber counts, or financial statements.

The company's moat profile is anchored in distribution (cooperative and municipal channel network), a regulatory/structural position under CATEL, and the cost advantages inherent to the OMV-over-Movistar model. There is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology beyond standard MVNO BSS features, or M&A, funding, or leadership-change activity in the available data. Key risks include dependence on a single underlying MNO (Movistar) for network capacity and pricing, Argentina-specific macroeconomic and currency volatility, regulatory exposure under Ley 25.326 personal-data protection requirements, and the limited commercial scale disclosed to date relative to the three incumbent MNOs.

Name

Imowi

Legal name

CÁMARA DE COOPERATIVAS DE TELECOMUNICACIONES – CATEL

Website

https://imowi.com.ar

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ciudad Evita

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Postpaid Mobile Services: Monthly subscription services with included voice minutes (1000), SMS (1000), and data allowances. Prorated billing based on activation date within the month.
2. Prepaid Plans: Prepaid top-up plans with validity periods of 7, 15, and 30 days. Includes voice minutes, SMS, data for any site, extra data for TikTok, and unlimited WhatsApp messaging.
3. Data Bonuses: Additional data packages purchased through Autogestión platform or local operator portal. Bonuses are available in various sizes and durations, with some being renewable and auto-recharging monthly.
4. International Services: International calls and SMS billed as excess charges beyond the plan's included services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Imowi is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (OMV) that delivers mobile voice, SMS, and data services to consumers across Argentina by leasing capacity from the Movistar national network. Its product portfolio centers on prepaid plans (7/15/30-day validity) and postpaid plans (3GB to 25GB with unlimited domestic calls/SMS), supplemented by eSIM activation, data bonuses, number portability, and a self-service Autogestión platform. The service is commercialized directly and through a nationwide network of cooperative, SAPEM, PyME, and municipal channel partners.

Product overview

imowi is a mobile virtual operator (OMV) operated by CATEL (Cámara de Cooperativas de Telecomunicaciones) that provides mobile telephony services over the Movistar network throughout Argentina. The core product portfolio consists of prepago (prepaid) and pospago (postpaid) mobile plans, with prepago packages offering 100 minutes, 100 SMS, data gigabytes, and free WhatsApp in 7/15/30-day options, and pospago plans offering unlimited domestic calls and SMS with data packages from 3GB to 25GB. Additional offerings include eSIM activation, data bonus add-ons (Bonos de Datos), self-service management (Autogestion), SIM replacement, and number portability services. The company targets customers in underserved geographic areas through local cooperative operators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• imowi Prepago Prepaid mobile plans offering 100 minutes, 100 SMS, data gigabytes for browsing, bonus TikTok data, and free WhatsApp messaging, available in 7-day, 15-day, and 30-day packages for individual consumers in Argentina.
• imowi Pospago Postpaid mobile plans offering unlimited domestic outgoing calls, unlimited SMS, and data packages ranging from 3GB to 25GB, with optional add-on bonuses and prorated billing based on activation date.
• eSIM imowi Electronic SIM card technology allowing users to activate imowi service on compatible devices by scanning a QR code, supporting multiple eSIMs per device and transferable across up to 5 devices.
• Bonos de Datos Additional data bonus add-ons available for purchase through the Autogestión platform or local operator portals, including time-limited bonuses (1GB to 10GB) and auto-renewable monthly bonuses.
• Portabilidad imowi Number portability service allowing customers to transfer their existing mobile number to imowi while maintaining the same phone number.

Quantifiable outcome

• Service available in 30+ localities across Argentina

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CATEL (Cámara de Cooperativas de Telecomunicaciones)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCATEL is the parent organization behind imowi. It is the Cámara de Cooperativas de Telecomunicaciones (Chamber of Telecommunications Cooperatives) that created and promotes the imowi mobile service. Imowi operates under CATEL's umbrella as the first national cooperative mobile operator in Argentina.
• Movistar (Telefónica)coreTechnology or IntegrationImowi operates as an OMV (Operador Móvil Virtual) using Movistar's national mobile network infrastructure. This network partnership allows imowi to offer nationwide coverage without building its own physical network infrastructure.
• Cooperativas de TelecomunicacionescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal telecommunications cooperatives that distribute imowi mobile services in their respective areas. These partners enable imowi to reach customers in underserved geographic locations where large providers have limited presence.
• SAPEMcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSociedades Anónimas con Participación Estatal Mayoritaria (state-majority companies) that partner with imowi to offer mobile services under their own branding in their service areas.
• PyMEsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSmall and medium enterprises in the telecommunications sector that resell imowi mobile services to their customer base.
• MunicipiosminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArgentine municipalities that partner with imowi to provide mobile connectivity services to their residents.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Fibertel (Cablevisión): Argentine cable/broadband operator with adjacent fixed-line and emerging mobile offerings. Relevant to Imowi's 4Play convergence thesis — cooperatives adding mobile to existing broadband/TV bundles — though operating in overlapping rather than identical geographies.

Direct peers

• Mint Mobile: US-based MVNO operating as a low-cost prepaid brand over T-Mobile's network with online-direct distribution. Closest international analog to Imowi's asset-light MVNO economics and value-driven positioning, though at vastly larger scale.
• Boost Mobile: US MVNO offering prepaid wireless service, originally over Sprint's network and now over T-Mobile's. Demonstrates the playbook of a prepaid-focused MVNO scaling via retail and digital channels, comparable to Imowi's cooperative-channel-led growth strategy.
• Consumer Cellular: US MVNO focused on serving specific customer segments (older users, AARP members) over AT&T and T-Mobile networks. Comparable business model to Imowi — asset-light MVNO targeting an underserved niche through differentiated distribution.
• Tuenti (Argentina): Argentine MVNO operated under Telefónica that sold prepaid mobile plans over the Movistar network. Closest direct peer to Imowi in terms of business model (asset-light MVNO in Argentina), though historically urban-focused rather than cooperative-distributed.

Emerging players

• Republic Wireless: US MVNO with hybrid Wi-Fi/cellular technology, smaller scale than Mint or Boost but illustrative of tech-enabled MVNO differentiation. Comparable to Imowi in attempting to add technology-led value (Autogestión self-service, eSIM) on top of a wholesale network.

Broad incumbents

• TracFone (Verizon): Now part of Verizon, TracFone pioneered the US prepaid MVNO model across multiple wholesale networks. Demonstrates the largest-scale MVNO economics and the strategic M&A exit path that Imowi's cooperative model would not directly replicate.
• Personal (Telecom Argentina): One of Argentina's Big-3 mobile network operators, offering prepaid and postpaid voice/data plans nationwide. Competes with Imowi for the same Argentine consumer wallet but operates owned spectrum and towers at vastly greater scale.
• Movistar (Telefónica Argentina): Imowi's underlying wholesale network provider and one of Argentina's Big-3 incumbent MNO brands. Same end-customer mobile market as Imowi but with owned infrastructure and direct retail presence.
• Claro (América Móvil Argentina): Big-3 incumbent mobile operator in Argentina with nationwide owned-network coverage. Competes for prepaid/postpaid subscribers that Imowi targets, particularly in underserved geographies where Claro is expanding its footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/somosimowi
• Facebookfacebook.com/somos.imowi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/somos-imowi
• Instagraminstagram.com/somos.imowi

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Imowi