A press release from Movida Communications released today indicates that they will provide mobile phone service to Spanish-speaking customers in the United States beginning sometime in the first half of 2005. They will operate as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on the Sprint PCS network. Movida branded handsets and pay-as-you-go cards will be available initially at Wal-Mart in select markets.

How is this different from T-Mobile, for example, which sends all its bill stuffers to me in English and Spanish? Movida says that it will produce all of its material in Spanish first and translate some of them to English. The company also "intends to offer added-value features and services that are both culturally and geographically relevant to Hispanic consumers...." Their customer care mantra is going to be "For English press two."

It will be interesting to see whether this marketing approach will connect with Spanish speakers in this country. It's probably true that this demographic group has the most growth potential in the USA, but will they flock to a provider on the basis of being served exclusively in Spanish? [ via MobileBurn ]