The telecommunications industry is evolving rapidly, driven by the need for more flexible, efficient, and innovative connectivity solutions in today’s modern world. Mobile Virtual Network Enablers (MVNEs) and Mobile Virtual Network Aggragators (MVNAs) have played a crucial role in telecom for a number of years, providing infrastructure and services that allow Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) to launch and manage their own mobile offerings without investing heavily in their own networks or business systems.
If you’re looking to become an MVNO, you will undoubtedly have looked for MVNE/A solutions to help you get your mobile offering operational. We’ve already broken down the differences between MVNEs and MVNAs in one of our earlier blogs, but today, we are highlighting the best MVNE/A solutions that are serving the United States today, helping their customers become MVNOs and compete in one of the most critical telecom markets in the world.
The best MVNE/A solutions in the US
When looking for an MVNE/A solution, MVNOs have traditionally prioritized companies that offer good support and handle the relationship with their preferred MNO, quick adaptability to changing market conditions, rapid revenue realization and pay-as-you-grow operational models.
Larger, more established MVNOs might not even use the services provided by an MVNE/A, already having their own robust infrastructure and systems in place therefore making their services redundant.
The MVNE/A market is crowded with intense competition across global vendors, system integrators and a large number of niche and specialized providers. Many companies will also offer both MVNE and MVNA services, delivering comprehensive support for potential MVNOs. That said, choosing the right vendor can be challenging, especially if you’re new to the complex and fragmented telecom industry. Your decision can also lead to a long-term relationship with your chosen provider, especially if you’re developing custom integrations that may not be easily transferable should you need to switch partners or carriers. With that in mind, it’s important to carefully weigh all factors before making your choice.
To make things a little easier for you, here are ten of the top MVNE/A solutions that operate in the United States today:
Reach
Reach markets itself as a global SaaS platform powering the next generation of network-based services. They offer MVNE, MVNA, IoT and BSS services to Skinny, Thin or Light MVNOs, making them a good option if you’re looking to go to market quickly with a lighter MVNO offering. With a focus on providing a comprehensive platform that covers everything from billing to customer management, Reach helps MVNOs bring their services to market quickly and efficiently.
Pareteum MVNE (a Circles company)
Pareteum is a mobile telco enabler with operations across the world. Acquired by Circles Global in July 2022, Pareteum has empowered Circles to expand its offering into the MVNE space, which they noted as being “fragmented with legacy players”. Their multi-tenant MVNE solution offers a flexible and scalable service to both MVNOs or companies looking to become their own MVNE. Pareteum also acts as an MVNA layer within its MVNE solution, enabling companies to configure their wholesale pricing, and price bundles and packages for their MVNO. Their MVNA solution can be used to facilitate connectivity for full MVNOs, light MVNOs, branded resellers, IoT connectivity, and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) services.
Plintron
Plintron, who offer both MVNE and MVNA services to the telecom industry, markets itself as a world-class, high performance, adaptive and responsive end-to-end MVNE/A solution. The company has launched over 175 MVNOs with 40+ MNOs in 31+ countries across 6 continents, making it a well tested global player in the market. Plintron has also consistently earned recognition in prestigious industry awards, winning the MVNE/MVNA Solution of the Year at the MVNO World Congress for two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023.
Lifecycle Software
Nexus by Lifecycle calls itself the launchpad for digital MVNOs and provides network integrations alongside a suite of built-in applications and automated workflows so neo telcos and MVNOs can go to market quickly and cost effectively. Their website states that they can launch an MVNO in under three months with their MVNE solution, utilizing ready to use front ends, self-service capabilities and a cloud multi-tenant.
i-new
Founded in 2004, Austrian-based i-new has expanded rapidly across the world serving more than 35 MVNOs, and is a leader in providing highly competitive mobile solutions to the market. Their MVNE solution offers end-to-end, out-of-the-box functionality designed to extend an MVNOs brand capabilities and proposition with features including customized tariff plans, digital onboarding and flexible top-ups.
1ot
1ot call themselves the one-stop-show for global IoT connectivity, providing their customers with access to 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity anywhere in the world. Founded in Estonia in 2016 and co-founded by Mobi Solutions Group, IoT has more than 3 million SIMs on their self-service platform.
Hologram
Another player in the IoT and M2M space is Hologram. Their vision is to make IoT connectivity both accessible and effortless for businesses of all sizes, and work in many different industries, including retail, smart agriculture and buildings, energy, manufacturing, entertainment and more. They’re currently working with over 5000 customers around the globe and claim to transmit more than 2 terabytes of data every day across more than 190 countries.
KORE Wireless
KORE Wireless provides scalable MVNE services that enable customers to launch mobile brands to the marketplace. They provide low-cost opportunities to deliver services built and hosted on their network independent, multi-tenant MVNE platform. Focused more on IoT deployments, they offer plans with 24 different global carriers, with plan sizes ranging from 50kb to 100GB+, and have a full suite of SIM and eSIm offerings.
Transatel (an NTT company)
With agreements with local operators in over 200 locations, Transatel offers global IoT and M2M coverage with their 3G/4G core network, giving customers access to 2G/3G/4G/5G and LTE-M multi-network connectivity on a single SIM. In the US, they have agreements in place with both AT&T and T-Mobile.
Helix Wireless
Helix Wireless provides connectivity solutions, global coverage, operational support and value-added services to MVNOs in the IoT and M2M space. The company has established relationships with more than 700 network operators in more than 190 countries enabling businesses to deploy and manage their IoT solutions on a global scale while optimizing coverage, data rates and power consumption.
Other MVNA/E’s you might consider on the market and that serve the United States, include:
How does Telecom-as-a-Service (TaaS) compare to an MVNE/A?
Over the past two decades, the MVNE/A solutions mentioned above, and numerous others, have successfully addressed the needs of MVNOs. However, as telecom transitions to the cloud and businesses and consumers increasingly seek more innovative and personalized ways to access, deploy and experience connectivity, the industry is undergoing significant changes that make telecom more accessible, cost-effective, and simple.
Telecom-as-a-Service (TaaS) is a new cloud-based delivery model that removes the traditional complexities of telecom to deliver global capabilities at scale via simple APIs and tools. TaaS empowers any enterprise, brand of individual to become their own MVNO or embed connectivity into existing digital products and customer experiences.
With OXIO’s TaaS, the traditional elements of telecom that MVNEs and MVNAs have provided to MVNOs, such as BSS, OSS, regulatory compliance, and negotiatory services with MNOs, are all encapsulated into one holistic telecom offering, making it easier than ever to build and launch your own private-label MVNO with competitive market pricing.
OXIO is leading a revolution in telecommunications, transforming connectivity into a turn-key solution that requires no existing telecom knowledge or expertise to operate. Rather than stitching together multiple vendors and partners across multiple territories, OXIO acts as your single, dedicated global partner to ensure the success of your MVNO. We deliver all of the tools and data you need to build the next generation of mobile experiences that will delight your customers and drive greater revenue for your business.
If you’d like to speak to our team about how we can turn your connectivity vision into a reality, get in contact with us today.
