What is a mobile virtual network operator?
MVNOs don’t own the infrastructure the networks are built on. Instead, they buy access to parts of these networks at wholesale prices. The company can then use this access to run its own wireless plans and resell the connectivity back to customers – usually at a reduced rate. There are no MVNOs in Nigeria presently […]
MVNOs don’t own the infrastructure the networks are built on. Instead, they buy access to parts of these networks at wholesale prices.
The company can then use this access to run its own wireless plans and resell the connectivity back to customers – usually at a reduced rate.
There are no MVNOs in Nigeria presently because there “is no enough capacity in the system”.
Wale Goodluck, corporate services executive, MTN Nigeria, said the reason why we have not seen MVNOs in a country like Nigeria is that there is not enough capacity in the system.
“Perhaps when there is sufficient capacity, we will be willing to sell wholesale capacity to any company who wants to sell retail telecoms services under another brand name”, he said.
In the U.S., Lycamobile, for example, is an MVNO because it runs on T-Mobile’s network.
In the UK, Tesco Mobile shares O2’s, and ultimately Telefonica’s, networks.
An MVNO is typically run as an independent company, with its own staff and customer service.
This would make Google a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) similar to Lycamobile in the U.S. that runs on T-Mobile’s network, and Tesco Mobile in the UK which shares O2’s, and ultimately Telefonica’s, networks.
MVNOs don’t own the infrastructure the networks are built on. Instead, they buy access to parts of these networks at wholesale prices.
The company can then use these network to run its own wireless plans and resell the connectivity back to customers – usually at a reduced rate.
Sources added that any Google-branded mobile network would initially launch in cities that have Google Fiber.
Google launched its 1000mps Fiber broadband service in 2011, starting with Kansas City.