2024 & 2025 were the years the MVNO business stopped being “cheap gigabytes resold at scale” and became something very different. The market is shifting under our feet: travel eSIMs are exploding, network APIs are opening, 5G SA is finally real, and AI is no longer a buzzword but a cost‑saver, churn‑killer and perfect way to differentiate oneself. I fully expect that this list is outdated in a month’s time such is the nature of our industry which is why you need to ensure you make the right vendor, technology and partner decisions.
If you run an MVNO in the US whether you’re bootstrapped, venture‑backed, or building for your parent brand these are the five battles you must win this year.
1. Own the traveler before someone else does
Travel eSIM providers grew revenue ~85% in 2025 and hit ~$1.8B, with 2026 expected to be even more competitive. Travelers open an app, buy a regional plan, and skip roaming completely. If we’re not in that customer journey, we lose them.
Add a travel eSIM add‑on inside your app. Simple day/week bundles, clear pricing, no friction. There are off the shelf solutions that are plug and play for existing MVNOs to their current stacks.
2. Differentiate with network features, not gigabytes
More than 90 operators worldwide launched 5G SA last year, and 65 real network‑slicing offers hit the market. This is our moment to stop selling commodity data and start selling experience.
Check out what AT&T are doing with Turbo Live. Download an eSIM and get dedicated network QOS based on your Geo-location. Another shift to give customers the experiences that they want – being at a concert, sporting event and being able to stream live content without lag.
3. Make AI work where it counts
AI is finally driving real results: hyper‑personalized offers, automated care, fraud detection. In MVNO operations, AI is a margin engine.
Here’s the truth nobody in telecom wants to admit: the operators who win with AI are the ones who start using it before they’ve finished talking about it.
Too many telcos still behave like it’s 2012 writing 60‑page requirement documents, forming steering committees, debating taxonomy, and running “AI readiness assessments” that last longer than a product cycle. Meanwhile, more agile players are already shipping solutions.
I read a recent study comparing two operators in Europe that took completely different paths.
- Operator A went down the requirements rabbit hole: governance workstreams, architectural reviews, ethics boards, cross‑functional approvals…the works.
- Operator B spun up a small team, pulled real customer transcripts and billing data, and just started coding.
Within weeks, Operator B had:
- an AI care agent handling real traffic,
- early wins in resolving simple queries automatically,
- anomaly‑detection models flagging leakage across roaming and interconnect, and
- a team that was now learning AI by doing AI.
Operator A?
They were still arguing about which internal system should be the “master source of customer truth.” This is the gap opening inside our industry. And MVNOs leaner, faster, less bureaucratic are perfectly positioned to exploit it.
So, here’s my take: stop planning AI and start using AI.
Deploy an AI care agent, even if it only handles 10% of inquiries at first. Turn on anomaly detection, even if the model isn’t perfect. Feed it real data. Iterate weekly. Learn by doing.
AI in telecom rewards momentum, not perfection. Ship something. Make it slightly better every week. Let the gains accumulate. That’s the path to operational advantage. Learn from someone else’s mistakes.
4. Compliancy
GSMA Open Gateway APIs are rolling out fast, but MVNO numbers aren’t always included by default. If your numbers are invisible, partners can’t verify subscribers.
Confirm your numbering ranges are included and publish a developer‑ready page.
2026: The year MVNOs evolve or fade
The winners will be the most adaptive, not the biggest. Own travel, differentiate with network features, operationalize AI, secure your API footprint, and protect margins with compliance‑by‑design.
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