The Visma–Lease a Bike rider’s WVA Mobile sells two plans on Telenet’s network, with premium subscribers promised behind-the-scenes content and rides
Wout van Aert launched his own mobile phone service on 27 July 2026, WVA Mobile, selling two subscription plans on the network of Belgian telecoms operator Telenet.
The Visma–Lease a Bike rider announced the service after teasing an unspecified launch on social media over the weekend. Fans speculated the Herentals rider would open an OnlyFans account, as Belgian speed skater Bart Swings did in March 2025. WVA Mobile runs as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) on Telenet’s network and is sold as an eSIM with no minimum contract.
The Sprint plan costs €13 per month for 20 GB of data with unlimited calls and texts. The Monument plan costs €35 per month for unlimited data, calls and texts, plus behind-the-scenes footage, virtual rides with Van Aert and discounts on merchandise.
Sprint subscribers receive 2 GB of bonus data each time Van Aert wins a race and a 10% discount on his merchandise.
Wout van Aert: ‘Build a community’
Van Aert said the idea came from his marketing team rather than himself. “I called the Telenet guys: I want my own network, and they arranged it,” he told Gazet van Antwerpen. He said he had doubted the premise at first.
“At first I also thought: who is interested in a network where you just see my name – or initials – on your phone screen,” Van Aert told Het Nieuwsblad. “But the idea is to build a community.”
“If people are paying to become a member, the content has to be good,” he said.
Monument subscribers are due to receive the first exclusive material during the Vuelta a España, which runs from 22 August to 13 September 2026.
Van Aert said he was not aware of another professional cyclist who had launched a similar service and suggested the concept may have started in the United States.
Athlete as media platform
Marko Heijl, a marketer at cycling sponsor Soudal and a lecturer in sports marketing communication at VUB, told VRT NWS the launch followed three trends. The first is the athlete as a businessman.
“The concept of the athlete as a merchant is as old as the street,” Heijl said, referring to riders who once lent their names to cafés and lived off the association after retiring.
The second is the athlete as brand. Heijl compared it to Michael Jordan‘s Nike sub-brand and Cristiano Ronaldo‘s CR7 range, which spans underwear, perfume, hotels and nightclubs. The third is the athlete as media platform, which he likened to Red Bull, a personal sponsor of Van Aert. “Wout van Aert is now selling himself as a media platform,” Heijl said.
Football clubs including FC Barcelona, AC Milan and FC Groningen already sell telecoms subscriptions under their own names, Heijl said. He said Van Aert is the first major Flemish public figure to launch his own telecoms service.
“It’s now that these guys have to do it. Wout van Aert is 31 and will not cycle at this level for another six, seven or eight years,” Heijl said. Van Aert has previously taken a minority stake in real estate firm Heylen Vastgoed and sold NFTs during the 2021 market.
