Simsalasim: Lars Hinrichs launches AI-driven mobile provider

Lars Hinrichs, the founder of Xing and former supervisory board member of Deutsche Telekom, is launching a new mobile service provider called Simsalasim. The company aims to disrupt established carriers like Telekom and Vodafone by offering a highly automated, low-cost model.

The planned tariff costs 10 euros per month and includes unlimited mobile data in approximately 100 countries, as well as unlimited calls and SMS in about 50 countries. The service will be provided exclusively via eSIM and will utilize the Telefónica network in Germany. To maintain low costs, Simsalasim operates as a virtual network operator with a small team of roughly 25 employees, relying heavily on artificial intelligence to manage billing, marketing, customer service, and software development.

In addition to low pricing, the service features AI-driven functionalities, such as an assistant capable of transcribing or translating calls and adding participants to conversations. However, the tariff excludes the use of the mobile device as a Wi-Fi hotspot (tethering).