Bubbletone ICO Review: A comprehensive review and analysis on Bubbletone ICO, which is set to disrupt the global telecom industry
This represents the writer’s personal opinions and does not – in any way- constitute a recommendation of an investment or financial advice. Please assume caution when investing in cryptocurrencies and do so at your own risk, as it is extremely volatile and you can lose your money.
Overview
Bubbletone is a decentralized telecommunications ecosystem that allows for the direct connection between mobile operators and mobile subscribers (users) globally. With their blockchain solution, Bubbletone aims to significantly reduce costly international roaming charges for users travelling abroad. In other words, users can enjoy “local rates” for voice calls, messaging and data usage services when they travel outside of their home countries.
In essence, Bubbletone greatly enhances the value of stakeholders:
- Mobile Operators: Reduces operational costs of implementing old-fashioned roaming technology and capital expenditures of maintaining infrastructural support, allowing direct access to customers from the international market. There are essentially “globalizing” their services in their local country.
- Mobile Subscribers: Saves on exorbitant international roaming charges and enjoy other value-add services from the Bubbletone ecosystem.
(Read also: Coins, Tokens & Altcoins: What’s the Difference?)
Applications
The flow of Bubbletone’s telecom ecosystem is as follows:
Leveraging on smart contracts, users can choose from a wide range of mobile plans (called “Offers”) created by mobile operators in the marketplace. Once the identity of the user is verified and the payment is issued, the mobile operator can provide high-quality mobile services to the user at “local price”.
For Mobile Users, here are the steps that need to be undertaken to enjoy Bubbletone’s offering:
- Step 1: Download and log-in to Bubbletone app
- Step 2: Choose mobile plans offered by local operators of the travel destination and download the ‘mobile profile data’ (a chunk of technical data) of the operator to their current SIM card
- Step 3: Upon arrival to the destination, the ‘mobile profile’ will be automatically activated and connected to the local network
(See also: Understanding Cryptocurrencies: Game of Thrones Edition)
Technology Breakdown
Bubbletone will be using the Graphene framework, an open source C++ blockchain implementation that is modular (customizable) in nature. A major advantage of using Graphene is that it allows for scalability (over 10,000 transactions per second) and has high performance, which is key for high-tempo, real-time processing. The consensus mechanism used will be Proof-of-Importance, which represents an enhancement version of Proof-of-Stake consensus that is specifically geared towards the telecom industry. (Read also: Guide To Cryptocurrency Valuation: A Look into On-Chain Data)
Unique Differentiator
- Convenient Solution to a Widespread Problem: According to statistics, 70% of mobile users disable data roaming when travelling overseas due to excessive international roaming charges. Users can just download the Bubbletone app and choose a mobile plan from local operators in the intended country. Not only do users benefit from the significant reduction in charges, but the process is more seamless and efficient as compared to the hassle of buying and activating a temporary SIM card in the country of travel.
- Significant Value-add for All Stakeholders: Mobile users and operators would reap significant value in the system; Users have access to cheap mobile plans, while operators will stand to gain from a reduction in their operational and capital costs while expanding their new customer base to include the international market.
Token Utility & Economics
Bubbletone has 2 tokens within its ecosystem:
- UMT Tokens: Utility tokens used for mobile plan payment (messaging and calls) within the ecosystem as well as a necessary ingredient in creating smart contracts within the Bubbletone blockchain. Rewards for miners will be denominated in UMT.
- SDR Tokens: A stable token pegged to Special Drawing Rights (SDR), which represents the unit of accounting of the International Monetary Fund (backed by 5 major fiat currencies) for International Settlements, which is actively used by the mobile carriers for settlement. SDR tokens ensure the stability of prices of services for subscribers and projected revenues for operators and service providers. SDR’s are the unit of payment given to providers for their services.
It is important to note that all unsold tokens will be burnt, with no additional creation of UMT along the way.
(See also: How Exchanges are Manipulating the Cryptocurrency Market)
Mining Process
Team
Key Management
Engineering & Development Team
Bubbletone has a big and diverse team with core competencies in the telecom arena. Looking at the Linkedin profiles of the team, we can deduce that many of the members have prior work experience for Allo Incognito, a mobile virtual operator. Having a common denominator is always advantageous for a project due to their close team dynamics.
Bubbletone’s CEO (Yuri Morozov), CTO (Oleg Pravdin) and CMO (Sergey Baloyan) have founded a string of successful telecom and software companies and projects. With over 20 members working on the project specializing in telecom applications, IT, blockchain development and marketing, Bubbletone is highly capable of executing their vision and implementing their concept. (Rwead more: Analyzing Cryptocurrency Risk: Existing Coins vs ICO)
Roadmap
Here is Bubbletone’s Roadmap:
The project is set to move at a fast pace, with the commercial launch of its web-API – that will allow mobile operators and service providers to integrate their system onto Bubbletone’s app – scheduled to be ready be ready by the June 2018. The key landmark for the project would be the approval of Bubbletone’s platform by International Telecommunication Union scheduled for the third quarter of 2018. This could take Bubbletone to the next level as being industry-accredited.
Traction
Bubbletone has partnered with Allo Incognito – a mobile virtual network operator – that will allow them to reach over 240,000 premium subscribers. Given that the founder of Bubbletone is also the CEO of Allo Incognito, it is natural to leverage on Allo’s userbase and POS systems.
Mobile Application
The Bubbletone customer-facing app is still in beta mode and can be found on the Android and Apple play store. It seems that the User Interface is rudimentary and still being worked on. It must be noted that although it does seem to have accumulated an average rating of 4.8/5 (from 32 users), it is way too early for this to be credible at the moment. Additionally, the development of the app began at the end of October 2017, and there are over 100 functionalities that have been integrated into the app.
Github
Bubbletone’s software is open-sourced and it’s Github can be found here. The project seems to have an active code repository, which is a positive sign of development and progress.
Strengths
- Solving a Real-World Issue: Excessive international roaming charges is a real pain for many travellers, backed by statistics and empirical observations. Not only does Bubbletone aims to solve that problem, but it makes the process much more efficient and seamless compared to the traditional methods (purchasing and activating temporary SIM cards).
- Highly Capable Team: The CEO, CMO and CTO are all experienced entrepreneurs with many companies and projects under their belt. Leading a 21-strong team specializing in telecom applications, IT, blockchain development and marketing, we feel that Bubbletone possess the technical capabilities to execute their vision.
- Dual -Token System: SDR tokens serves as a stable coin to separate the wild volatility of the cryptocurrency market with the unit of accounting used within Bubbletone’s ecosystem.
- Technology Stack: The use of Graphene framework allows Bubbletone to benefit from high scalability and performance, which is crucial to the provision of telecom services
- Lucrative Market Opportunity: Mobile applications have been tremendously growing globally and couple that with the huge size of the travelling population, Bubbletone is set to create a new market for a global telecom segment via the use of blockchain.
Weaknesses
- High Presale Bonus: There’s a presale bonus of 68% which is very high. However, Bubbletone has initiated a vesting period of 2.5 months for all participants that acquired UMT with a bonus, where they’ll receive 10% of their UMT every week. This would alleviate the concerns that there’ll be a huge dump after the tokens are listed on exchanges due to the high presale bonuses.
- Threat of Internet-Connectivity: The rise of internet connectivity has diminished the reliance on traditional calls and SMS; it is apparent that the proliferation of WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram etc. has become the main mode of communication among those in the developed countries. Although internet connectivity may not always be available continuously due to the absence of a mobile data plan, it remains to be seen how much of an issue it really is for many.
(Read more: Hard Forks in Cryptocurrency: Does it Spell Chaos or Innovation?)
Summary
Bubbletone is a refreshing disruptor towards the international telecom industry plagued by excessive charges. With a highly experienced team and a good technological direction, Bubbletone is set to become a reputable force in the coming years.
Verdict: Good Project
(See also: Why Ethereum is Looking Fundamentally Strong in This Bear Market)
Beneficial Resources To Get You Started
If you're starting your journey into the complex world of cryptocurrencies, here's a list of useful resources and guides that will get you on your way:
Trading & Exchange
- Crypto Guide 101: Choosing The Best Cryptocurrency Exchange
- Guide to Bittrex Exchange: How to Trade on Bittrex
- Guide to Binance Exchange: How to Open Binance Account and What You Should Know
- Guide to Etherdelta Exchange: How to Trade on Etherdelta
- Guide To Cryptocurrency Trading Basics: Introduction to Crypto Technical Analysis
- Cryptocurrency Trading: Understanding Cryptocurrency Trading Pairs & How it Works
- Crypto Trading Guide: 4 Common Pitfalls Every Crypto Trader Will Experience
Wallets
- Guide to Cryptocurrency Wallets: Why Do You Need Wallets?
- Guide to Cryptocurrency Wallets: Opening a Bitcoin Wallet
- Guide to Cryptocurrency Wallets: Opening a MyEtherWallet (MEW)
Read also: Guide on Privacy Coins: Comparison of Anonymous Cryptocurrencies and Guide To Cryptocurrency Trading Basics: Do Charts & Technical Analysis Really Work?
This represents the writer’s personal opinions and does not – in any way- constitute a recommendation of an investment or financial advice. Please assume caution when investing in cryptocurrencies and do so at your own risk, as it is extremely volatile and you can lose your money.
Get our exclusive e-book which will guide you on the step-by-step process to get started with making money via Cryptocurrency investments!
You can also join our Facebook group at Master The Crypto: Advanced Cryptocurrency Knowledge to ask any questions regarding cryptos!
I'm Aziz, a seasoned cryptocurrency trader who's really passionate about 2 things; #1) the awesome-revolutionary blockchain technology underlying crypto and #2) helping make bitcoin great ‘again'!
