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Private company

Lebara Group

Logo: Lebara, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

British telecommunications company

Lebara is a British telecommunications company providing services using the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) business model in the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Nigeria and Australia. Lebara provides pay-as-you-go and contract-based mobile SIM cards in these countries, and its brand is also used under license in four other countries.2 It was founded by Rasiah Ranjith Leon, Baskaran Kandiah and Ratheesan Yoganathan.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Sep 2001Founded1
  • Industrytelecommunications, telecommunications industry1
  • HeadquartersLondon1
  • Websitemobile.lebara.com/global
  • Legal formsimplified joint-stock company1

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Lebara is a British telecommunications company providing services using the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) business model in the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Nigeria and Australia. Lebara provides pay-as-you-go and contract-based mobile SIM cards in these countries, and its brand is also used under license in four other countries.2

Corporate structure

Lebara Group sits at the top of its group. 2 entities, 2 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

Founded by Baskaran Kandiah, Rasiah Ranjith Leon and Ratheesan Yoganathan on Sep 2001.1

Lebara was founded in 2001 by UK-based Ratheesan Yoganathan, Rasiah Ranjith Leon and Baskaran Kandiah. The name Lebara was coined from the first two letters of each of the founders' names. At launch, the company's initial product was international telephone calling cards, sold through independent mobile phone shops. In 2004, Lebara launched its first mobile virtual network, a low-cost international service in the Netherlands, selling SIM cards using mobile carrier Telfort, a subsidiary of KPN. After finding success, it subsequently launched operations in other European countries including the UK (2007), France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany (2010) and Denmark.

Lebara's Swiss operation (Lebara GmbH, Zurich) was sold on 1 July 2013 to Sunrise Communications.

In September 2017, Lebara Group B.V. was sold to Switzerland-based Palmarium Advisors AG. The Spanish operation of Lebara (Lebara España SL) was sold to MASMOVIL Group in November 2018. In 2019, bondholders of Lebara (under holding company Vieo B.V.) took control of the company.

Lebara was sold to Waterland Private Equity in August 2024.

On Thursday, September 17, 2026,

Lebara got presence and commenced its operations in Nigeria.

From Wikipedia’s article on Lebara, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Leadership

Who has led Lebara Group, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Products and brands

The company currently operates in the UK, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany; as of 2023, it had at least four million customers. It has also entered into brand license agreements for the use of its trademarks in Australia, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia and Spain.

In 2017 Lebara launched its first postpaid monthly contract SIMs in the Netherlands, as part of a move to appeal to a wider customer base.

As of 2017, Lebara focused on the international calling market as well as offering SIM-only plans and post-pay services. Lebara plans to offer 5G services as these become available.

In 2026, Lebara began its operations in Nigeria.

From Wikipedia’s article on Lebara, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. Sep 2001Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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