MVNOs + MWC: A Missed Opportunity. Again?!?

Now that the Mobile World Congress 2025 is drawn to its frantic end and its 3rd Annual MVNO Summit has been concluded a question lingers:

“How did the GSMA manage to, once again, hit the mark, and yet, miss the point entirely?”

While the GSMA presented a seemingly targeted agenda, there is still a glaringly obvious lack of prioritization for these industry players and their overarching needs. Has it, tacitly or otherwise, already been decided that this market will never truly reach the big leagues or is the GSMA simply going through the motions, understandably driven, as always, by the needs of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) offering the bare minimum while maintaining the status quo?

This is not intended as a dig at the GSMA. In fact, quite the opposite. When I launched the iMVNOx Association in 2013, I firmly believed that if we could secure MVNO representation within the GSMA—in its working groups and at Mobile World Congress—the challenges facing our industry (at least at that time) could be resolved. However, after more than a decade of advocating for fair market access, one thing remains painfully clear: the imbalance of power that has kept MVNOs “trapped in the labyrinth”, perpetually playing catch-up, remains alive and well today.

In 2025, the MVNO market continues to grapple with some of the same fundamental issues that plagued industry pioneers unfortunately, it seems little progress has been made despite the stated goals of the summit and the influence of the GSMA.

Industry Challenges (2005-2025)

• MNO Dominance: Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) continue to wield significant power and influence, hindering MVNO growth through unfavorable terms, mobile recurring charges, integration fees, and other forms of pricing pressure.
• Lack of Innovation: MVNOs still struggle to differentiate themselves and offer truly innovative services beyond reselling MNO connectivity, primarily due to anti-competitive practices surrounding access to resources and new technology rollouts. Practices so deeply embedded in the wholesale culture that they often operate as invisible forms of market manipulation.
• Regulatory Hurdles: Regulatory policies continue to inadequately support MVNOs, failing to foster a level playing field despite ongoing efforts from regulatory bodies worldwide.
• Profitability Concerns: MVNOs still face fundamental commercial challenges in achieving sustainable profitability, especially in the initial five-to-seven-year period post-launch.

I for one would find it interesting to know the real statistics regarding the success rate of MVNOs over the past 20 years.

Perhaps MVNO Index could conduct a poll, or the GSMA might be willing to work with us to identity the real statistics?

How many MVNOs have survived a full seven years without being sold back to the MNO or sold off in pieces by disenchanted investors?

What is your guess? Mine remains less than 15%.
(Really I believe it is less than 15% but I can’t prove that and I am trying to be optimistic).

Regardless of the statistics, the central question remains:

Was the MVNO Summit a valuable tool for identifying and executing the efforts necessary to address these critical challenges? To really succeed as an MVNO?

Based on my observations and with conversations post-event with other industry veterans. The answer was, once again, less than straightforward and still loosely resembles an “it depends” scenario.

• It depends on whose booth you are at and in which Hall you are visiting.
• It depends on your host network and how well you negotiated.
• It depends on which side of the “digital divide” your target customer resides
• It depends…..
• It depends…
• It depends
  And, if you read my first blog for the MVNO Index, you will know that I believe it depends on the nearly impossible task of your team’s ability to successfully navigate an ancient labyrinth embedded with the traps and tricks of the almighty Goblin Kings – BEFORE you run out of money!!!
  Read more about my perspective regarding the MVNOs & Jim Henson/ David Bowie classic cult film, The Labyrinth here.

Now I do NOT want to dash your dreams of becoming a ‘major player in the connectivity space’ and I do NOT wish to appear overly negative.

However, despite our cumulative efforts to date and the harsh lessons learned navigating the treacherous path from virtual networks toward ubiquitous connectivity, meaningful solutions remain frustratingly distant.

I think we must face the reality that the MVNx ecosystem has yet to make sufficient progress in securing our position as a virtual layer, within the “network stack of the 6G future.”

And I think that reality is plainly evident in the programming placement of the MVNO agenda each year at Mobile World Congress.

Consider this: The MVNO Summit takes place on the Wednesday afternoon of MWC, from 16:00 to 18:30 – that is a total of 150 minutes. The MVNO Summit located – all the way in the theaters at the far end of La Fira, past #4YFN in Hall 8.0.

Those who go to the conference regularly will know many most attendees of any significance have already gone back to their respective corners of the world by Wednesday afternoon. And if you are still there – then making your way to Hall 8.0- swimming (500 miles) upstream against a hoard of suitcases headed for the airport is hardly the preferred programming slot.

Yet, that is precisely where and when the MWC – MVNO Summit takes place.

Now this may seem like a complaint about sore feet and a tired brain, held together at this point solely by cava and padron peppers. But, if you really take a look at the numbers this “scheduling issue” is more than just a physical inconvenience, it betrays a much starker underlying reality.

The following metrics are an exercise in measuring the importance and priority (to the GSMA and, consequently, the carriers) of any given agenda item on the MWC conference schedule based on the programming time allocated; in this case MVNOs:

• The conference spans a minimum of four days.
• Estimating 10 hours per day of programming time (i.e., 8:00 – 18:00)
• This yields 2400 mins available in the programing schedule .
• Thus the entire MVNO Summit (at a maximum of 150 minutes airtime) accounts for less than 1% of the total programming time.
• That is 0.0625%, of total programming time, to be exact.
  [4*10=40*60=2400][150/2400=0.0625].

So, what gives, GSMA?

Don’t you see that virtualized networks are the essential “gateway drug” for carriers to participate in innovative initiatives like openRAN?
It is common knowledge that at their core, any connectivity contract with an MNO (MVNO, NTN, FTTH) is simply a glorified wholesale partner.

Does a rose have to be owned by the MNO for it to smell sweet?

Or is a rose by any other name … well you know the rest?

And yes, …

• perhaps this particular MVNO rose – if you are still following the tenuous link to my Labyrinth analogy, may have already been dipped in the BOG of Eternal Stench with no clear path back to the promised land.
• profit margins and market share are, for many, still dangerously stagnant.
• MVNOs may continue to be outbranded by larger budgets and more fashionable buzzwords

But the truth is much of all that remains mere slideware and in the meantime, despite these persistent challenges, the MVNx industry has repeatedly proven itself to be a force for good.

In fact, MVNOs and the virtualization of networks were, without question, a crucial step on the path towards technologieslike eSIM, privatenetworks and the future concept of ubiquitousconnectivity.

For me, as an individual, “the force for good” angle—remains the primary reason behind my drive to consistently champion the MVNO industry—to advocate for improved wholesale access and the accelerated development of virtual networks.

Because virtual networks benefit the overall market and the common good.

And it’s not just me who feels this way, there are many who see the position of virtual networks as an essential layer of the network connectivity stack, however precarious, is far more valuable than 0.0625% of programming time, even if relegated to serving as a cautionary tale of what hasn’t worked.

Consider the speed with which the enduring power imbalance that has haunted the MVNO industry could disrupt the shiny, optimistic future of potentially transformative initiatives like OpenRAN.

Because as MNOs race ahead with 5G-Advanced, edge computing, and AI-powered network orchestration, many MVNOs are still struggling to secure decent wholesale rates and basic access to essential network functionalities

How can we continue to verlook and underinvest in operationally functionally solutions like virtualized networks, when every year next-gen buzzwords are thrown about with careless abandon between exhibitor halls alongside promises of groundbreaking innovation all intended to continue spurring investors toward a still-elusive 6G future even amidst the persistent aroma of overhyped vaporware and unproven commercial models.

Do we honestly believe that the well-documented challenges of successfully deploying a 5G standalone network, while simultaneously addressing complex network slicing considerations in order to maximize that all-important spectrum optimization, have suddenly been magically resolved and generously financed by some secretly benevolent telco overlords?

It seems a dangerously naive position to take considering the stark reality that the MWC programming metrics provide which I think make things quite simple and clear..

So here is my hope for the Summit ext yearwhat gives GSMA?

My hope that if, MVNOs are to be allocated less than one precent (1%) of valuable air time, than please GSMA do not insist on dragging us back to the beginning of the Labyrinth again.

The MVNO Summit at MWC should be a dynamic forum for achieving tangible progress, not a glorified meet-and-greet for corporate brands fresh off the boat from HQ, eager to discover the well-trodden path toward launching a lightweight MVNO on a commoditized MNO-owned MVNx platform.

However, if we absolutely must cater to the newest investor with a passing penchant for telecom, let us, for once, dispense with the predictable rhetoric. The tired opening gambit of the “MVNOs are vital” speech is lovely and heartwarming but it is about as effective as a butterfly sneezing in a hurricane.

Yes, MVNOs can drive valuable innovation and foster healthy competition. Yes, they are uniquely positioned to cater effectively to niche markets and reach underserved communities.

That is, and always has been, the entire point.

However, MVNOs can only thrive with fair, equitable market access to the requisite tools and technologies.

Perhaps the core message, finally, should be: “MNOs play a critical role in driving innovation by proactively providing timely access to emerging technologies, fostering the creation of vibrant new market opportunities within the broader MVNO ecosystem.”

Rather than perpetuating the familiar, hollow rhetoric that only serves to compound unfair, unrealistic expectations that MVNOs should somehow single-handedly innovate without the benefit of proper wholesale agreements or access to core network functions.

In order to be of a treu value to the industire the Summit:

• It needs to directly address the deeply entrenched systemic barriers that continue to prevent MVNOs from fully realizing their inherent potential, moving beyond simply whitewashing the walls of the labyrinth for the benefit of wide-eyed newcomers and over-zealous investors.
• It needs to facilitate genuinely transparent, no-holds-barred discussions with seasoned executives from both sides. We need to be able to spend time talking about actionable points of meaningful collaboration between MNOs and MVNOs.
• It needs a far sharper focus on pressing policy and consolidation without the hollow pronouncements regarding “competition” and “innovation” “consumer welfare“
• It needsd tangible initiatives that demonstrably benefit MVNOs like a wholesale buy group (gasp!).
• It needs an entire day on how MVNOs and MNOs can work together to maximize the increasingly strained network capacity.
• It needs a safe space to openly challenge and proactively address stifling pricing and service standards that directly inhibit sustainable innovation and foster anti-competitive across the market today.

But if it can’t do that then at a bare minimum it MUST stop touting the thinking that “viable business plans,”are the seemingly elusive secret to achieving MVNO success.

As if the myriad challenges of consistently securing affordable wholesale access and successfully competing with entrenched MNOs can be readily solved with a beautifully formatted spreadsheet and a compelling PowerPoint presentation.

Yes, a solid business plan is, of course, fundamentally important. But it is not, and never will be, a magical pill. It must be firmly grounded in the harsh realities of the current market, acknowledging the inherent structural limitations of the traditional MVNO model and proactively focusing on demonstrably sustainable strategies for realistic growth.

And while multiple presenters at the event underscored the undeniably critical role that MVNOs could be playing in the market, the Summit’s core content remained stubbornly fixated on what virtual operators should theoretically be doing, rather than directly addressing how they can realistically overcome the existing obstacles that currently stand in their way.

It’s a hard thing to deliver. In my humble opinion there are some really easy and synergy between the established MVNO market and the GSMA’s much-touted initiatives, like the Ministerial Programme and the Mobile for Development Initiative.

So what did I think in the end?

Did the MWC 2025 MVNO Summit ultimately move the needle, even incrementally?

Did it, in reality, offer a genuinely innovative roadmap out of the labyrinth or adress the functional requirements of established MVNOs?

I guess the answer is the same as before…..it depends…it depends…it depends.

I for one continue to retain a  persistent faith in this vital market and, as a self-proclaimed MWC junkie my hope is that the GSMA is just getting started when it comes to MVNOs, that the days of old are over and that the Summit can serve as a way towards a more viable, optimized, wholsale future.

Until then, let’s keep fighting the good fight, one hard-won subscriber or rather “point of connectivity” at a time.

#Arosebyanyothername

References:

1. (n.d.). MVNO Summit Mar 5, 2025 16:00-18:30 | MWC Barcelona. Retrieved from https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/agenda/sessions/5310-mvno-summit
2. (n.d.). MVNO Summit Mar 5, 2025 16:00-18:30 | MWC Barcelona. Retrieved from https://www.mwcbarcelona.com/agenda/sessions/5310-mvno-summit