What the market learned about channel sequencing, product readiness, and the conflict nobody plans for. There is a pattern in travel eSIM distribution. Brands build the eSIM product, open an API for resellers, get listed on marketplaces - before the offer can sell on...
Technology parity is a critical clause for MVNOs, ensuring they gain access to the same network capabilities and new technologies as their host operators, allowing them to compete on equal terms and maintain service quality. As innovations like satellite-to-mobile connectivity accelerate—supported by regulators such as Ofcom and rapidly commercialised by operators like Vodafone and T-Mobile—MVNOs without parity risk falling behind. However, while parity secures access, it does not guarantee favorable pricing, meaning MVNOs must still build commercially viable propositions, making forward-looking contract design essential for long-term competitiveness.
As MVNOs move from experimentation to real AI-driven outcomes, the first priority in 2026 is not building sophisticated models but establishing reliable data foundations. Phase 1 of the AI roadmap focuses on preparing and validating operational data such as call detail records, sales transactions, and customer lifecycle information. By cleaning source data, stabilizing pipelines, and introducing automated validation checks, MVNOs can ensure that analytics and machine learning models are built on trustworthy inputs.
At the core of this phase is the deployment of a Feature Store, a centralized environment where engineered variables derived from operational data are standardized, documented, and reused across teams. This shared repository allows product, finance, customer care, and data science teams to access consistent datasets for both model training and live operational decisions. By structuring features around themes such as usage patterns, revenue behavior, lifecycle indicators, and network performance, MVNOs can accelerate the development of high-impact use cases including churn prediction, fraud detection, and personalized plan recommendations.
Once these data foundations are in place, subsequent phases of the roadmap can focus on deploying machine learning models directly into operational workflows, turning AI initiatives into measurable improvements in customer retention, operational efficiency, and revenue performance.
Brazil’s mobile market in 2025 illustrates a familiar pattern in mature telecom sectors: slow consumer growth alongside rapid expansion in machine connectivity. While total mobile connections increased by just over 2.5%, the consumer segment grew only marginally, confirming that smartphone penetration is approaching saturation. Within this environment, MVNOs are gaining ground by capturing subscribers from traditional operators rather than expanding the overall market. At the same time, the M2M/POS segment has become the sector’s primary growth engine, adding 6.6 million new connections and reaching roughly 54 million total subscriptions. This double-digit growth reflects the accelerating adoption of IoT applications across industries such as payments, logistics, utilities, and agribusiness. Meanwhile, the continued rollout of 5G is driving a technological transition, with Brazil surpassing 58 million 5G connections in 2025. However, most of this expansion reflects migration from legacy networks rather than new subscriber growth, and adoption remains overwhelmingly concentrated in the consumer segment. Together, these trends suggest that while the traditional mobile market is consolidating, machine connectivity and emerging 5G capabilities may define the next phase of growth in Brazil’s telecom sector.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Mobile World Congress being hosted in the beautiful city of Barcelona and believe it (or not because I scarcely can) it’s my 15th year attending this undeniably important event. MWC is absolutely a vibe - whether it’s your vibe...
As AI assistants and large language models reshape how consumers search, compare, and purchase products, the traditional telco “plan grid” is starting to look outdated. Instead of browsing static tiles filled with gigabytes and inclusions, users are increasingly asking for personalised recommendations delivered in a single conversational response. Other industries—from streaming platforms to digital-first consumer brands—have already mastered attention, relevance, and creative variation at scale. Telecommunications, however, continues to rely on catalogue-style presentation in a world moving toward intelligent curation. For MVNOs in particular, this shift represents a timely opportunity: to design simpler, more adaptable offers that can be surfaced dynamically within AI-driven conversations. In a market where attention is scarce and recommendations replace comparison tables, relevance—not range—will define the next competitive edge.