Disney Mobile, Japan
When I was at Adventis, we worked on several strategies for brands to enter the wireless market as virtual network operators (MVNOs). We looked at a bunch of business models with Disney in various European countries, and then in Asia. There are a lot of challenges with creating a successful MVNO model; one being that the MVNO can end up competing with the host operator.
The Disney team in Japan was awesome, and the brand is incredibly strong there. We developed a true partnership model with Softbank that I think (biased) was the best mobile deal of its kind, and avoided many of the traditional challenges. It launched in 2008, and has done well.
TechCrunch:
How Disney Mobile Is Succeeding In Japan
Disney Mobile Japan