TELECOMS
IS THERE A PLACE FOR MVNOS IN THE UK ’ S 5G FUTURE ?
Industry experts weigh in on the past , present , and future role of Mobile Virtual Network Operators as the UK wades into the 5G era .
WRITTEN BY : HARRY MENEAR
Mobile Virtual Network Operators ( MVNOs ) - mobile carriers that don ’ t own any physical infrastructure , instead offering services by piggybacking on the assets of another Mobile Network Operator ( MNO ) - have historically found themselves on the back foot whenever a generational technology leap started to hit the market .
“ In previous generations , such as 4G , there was an extended lag between when
“ In previous generations , such as 4G , there was an extended lag between when the host operator offered 4G to its retail customers and when it was offered to MVNOs ”
HAMISH WHITE FOUNDER & CEO , MOBILISE the host operator offered 4G to its retail customers and when it was offered to MVNOs ,” explains Hamish White , CEO of Mobilise . By White ’ s estimate , the gap between MNOs in the UK offering 4G services commercially and the country ’ s MVNOs launching their own 4G products was a full 12 months . This unfortunate reality created serious customer retention and engagement issues for the UK ’ s MVNOs last decade , as MNOs leveraged their network control to keep highspending data customers to themselves for as long as possible .
Now , with 5G adoption in the UK rising steadily , are MVNOs about to be left on the sidelines once again while MNOs reap the rewards ? Or has the game changed ?
With a greater variety of new opportunities stemming from the business and wholesale sectors , the growth of non-traditional network applications like IoT , and the overall shift towards telecoms as user-experience companies rather than utilities firms , maybe a better question to ask is , “ when 6G rolls around , will there be any telecoms left that aren ’ t MVNOs ?”
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