What MVNO Owners Need to Know About 5G

To keep your Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) relevant and noteworthy at all times, you always need to be keeping up with the latest mobile trends. Outdated services and offerings will quickly begin to lose you subscribers as consumers are always seeking the “next big thing”.

Said “next big thing” in question here is undoubtedly 5G technology as it has created quite a buzz around the mobile spectrum as of late. For the owner of an MVNO, the vital question becomes ‘how is this going to impact your network and what are the key details that you need to be conscious of?’

There is Potential for 5G Technology to Completely Change the Game

As for what 5G technology is, it is simply the latest wireless network generation. In addition to offering vastly improved speeds, 5G also has the capability of minimizing latency issues. Additionally it is going to enhance flexibility, as it allows for more devices to be connected simultaneously.

Those in the mobile industry have even gone as far as to claim that 5G could be one of the most influential and groundbreaking technologies seen in years. Before long, it will become the standard, and inferior networks will fade out.

Its Availability is Currently Limited

As it stands currently, 5G is not widely available across the major carriers. This is likely to change, as the year 2020 is set to be a monumental one regarding the rise of the 5G technology. It is not as if everyone can get their hands on the improved network; it is a bit more complicated than that.

The true reality is that the full potential of 5G is probably not going to be reached for the next few years. That said the global 5G innovation is going to be making more of an impact than some MVNOs will be ready for.

Current MVNOs are Planning to Offer 5G

One of the potential roadblocks your MVNO network is going to experience is if and when you can get your hands on 5G technology. The carrier or carriers you offer coverage from are going to initially offer their new groundbreaking network to some of their larger partnerships.

The good news is there are smaller brands that are intending to provide 5G-based services. Several MVNO owners have gone on record to claim that their platform would be delivering such experiences to their consumers.

All this news wraps up to the reality that your Wireless MVNO needs to account for the various demographics of users that are itching to utilize such network speeds. 4G is far from extinct but you need to act fast as before you know it, the standard will be changed to the 5G network.

Additionally, one must consider which Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) you do business through. At Telgoo5 we fully understand that the market changes and adapts oftentimes quicker than you can handle. With our constantly evolving platform and software, contact us today to connect with an enabler you can rely on.

How MVNOs are Staying Relevant in 2019 & Beyond

Becoming a virtual mobile network operator (MVNO) in the U.S. telecom and communications sector is a feat that not everyone can achieve successfully. Whether you are a big tech conglomerate or a famous entertainment giant, your current level of success might not be relevant in the competitive MVNO segment.Why?

Well, running a MVNO service is more than just leasing the required network infrastructure. It is more work than designing lucrative pricing packages. And it is more time consuming than holding flashy pitch meetings.

But there’s a key to appreciating the importance of these requirements. It lies within understanding how these factors played out against those who did not pay attention to them. From there, it is a matter of avoiding those mistakes to run your own successful MVNO platform.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most hyped MNVOs of the past, how they met their downfall, and how you can avoid a similar fate with your telecom venture.

First Things First: What is a MVNO?

If you made it to this post, then you might already know what is an MVNO is and how it works. But let’s do a quick refresher to jog your memory.

Simply put, a MVNO works through a virtual telecom network that relies on traditional network infrastructure to run its operations. For instance, in the U.S., a MVNO typically relies upon the physical infrastructure of companies such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. The MVNO rents out a part of the physical infrastructure’s resources at wholesale pricing and sells it at a retail price to its target audience.

In other words, a MVNO is simply a large-scale reseller. What sets it apart from its original network partners or other counterparts are the services that it offers.

Why Do MVNOs Attract So Many Investors?

Those who know about the ins and outs of MVNO companies would know how several entities in the past took MVNOs as a “get rich quick” scheme.

The program was simple. Just spend a large amount of capital, lease existing infrastructure, and market your services to your target audience.

But if only it were as straightforward as that.

Not getting a realistic picture of the requirements, companies such as ESPN, Amp’d, and Disney all went down the path to launch their MVNO service anyway. Much to the predictions of industry experts, they all ended up failing rather spectacularly.

The main reason behind their disappointing results and subsequent shutdown were a lack of planning, vision, and long-term sustainability in terms of infrastructure support.

Whenever a company is about to launch a MVNO platform – it is necessary to get all its affairs in order.

In simple terms, experts advise any investors only to enter the sector if they are doing so with a clear plan of long term operations. If they don’t have a sustainable and easy way to run their MVNO companies, then it is more or less a doomed operation.

With that, if they keep a few factors in mind, then they could very well turn their new venture into a long term business.

How Can MVNOs Succeed in Today’s Day and Age?

Apart from well-devised planning, targeted marketing, and super-smooth presentations, running a MVNO service requires you to put in the work with a holistic approach towards your operations.

There’s no denying that you need to be at the top of your game in terms of networking and communications. But at the same time, you also have to be extremely focused on your customers’ expectations.

Similarly, you have to strike the perfect balance between uptime and quality, coverage and delivery, as well as billing and marketing.

Companies that follow these guidelines have shown particularly successful metrics against their efforts. This is especially true in markets outside of the U.S., which is judged by how the current number of MVNOs surpasses the psychological figure of 1,000 different providers. To put matters in perspective, these MVNO companies collectively serve over 10 percent of mobile users all over the world.

How to Make Your Mark in a Market Such as the U.S.?

When it comes to the success of a MVNO platform, the U.S. market is a bit different. New players in the telecom sector not only have to offer lucrative prices, but they also have to provide more flexible data plans. They have to deliver exceptional clarity in voice services. At the same time, they also need to provide consistent uptime in data and billing services.

Here’s the kicker. They have to do all of that while having exceptional support over pricing and quality. While this sounds extremely difficult, it is not impossible at all. MVNOs such as Google Fi is proof of that.

At Telgoo5, we exhibit all the necessary tools to turn your budding MVNO service into a success story. With exceptional billing, infrastructure, and a holistic MVNO platform, we make the process of launching your MVNO companies as easy as the click of a few buttons.

Apart from exceptional onboarding, we also take pride in our easy to use MVNO service management solutions. Whether you want to optimize your services, increase your number of customers, or expand your outreach, we are there for you every step of the way. With dedicated account managers and 24 x 7 NOC support, we are just a call away from helping you with any pressing issue.

Whether you want to launch your MVNO platform, or need to optimize your current service, feel free to reach out to us today.

Customer Experience – A Key MVNO Differentiator

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) are on a rise across the globe. According to the GSMA Intelligence report are a total of 1017 MVNOs in the world. Today MVNOs outnumber the total number of mobile network providers across the globe. In 2015 alone 210 MVNOs either shut down their business or merged with some other business. Start, peak, filtering, and stabilization is perhaps the expected business curve for MVNOs. Here to reach the point of stabilization and to sustain once stable MVNOs need to be smart and innovative.

Superior customer retention rate and ability to add new customers is now than ever before directly linked to ‘Experience’, which will help MVNOs stand out and receive higher ARPU. Many studies suggest operators differentiating themselves based on customer experience are likely to stay in business in the long run. According to Telesperience’s recent research into the MVNO market differentiator, better customer service has been cited by almost 67% of MVNOs.

Below are few innovative touchpoints with which MVNOs can differentiate themselves from the competition and delight their customers.

• Loyalty Programme: For a long time, loyalty programs have been used as differentiators by service providers across industries. They are a great way to award loyal customers and inspire loyalty amongst new customers.

• Customization: This is when an MVNO provides its users the flexibility to design their plans which will best suit their requirement.

• Control: Offer control to customers by providing them access to customer care portal and Mobile application through which they can get real-time data about their usage, talk time, subscription plan, etc.

• Localization and Personalization:

  • Target demographic segments by designing an offer for various demographic groups

  • Segmentation: design and develop segment-specific plans for corporates, schools, etc.

  • Design plans for expats, students, etc. with specialized features like unlimited talk time to selected numbers, free message service to their homeland, etc.

This is where a highly sophisticated billing system will play a key role in enabling MVNOs in creating customized plans with configurable product catalogs, visibility of usage to customers, allowing the customer to subscribe for services real-time and empowering them to discontinue services as and when they wish to. Telgoo5’s solutions will allow you to take absolute control of crucial area like billing and will allow you to create new services, bundle promotions and provide real-time data.

Companies using Telgoo5’s billing services have a competitive edge over others as Telgoo5’s billing system allows MVNOs to efficiently manage their billing and revenues. Our billing services will satisfy both the MNO and the customers. Billing services must be able to spot any instances of fraud and revenue leakage. Telgoo5’s Billing Services are apt to do this and will protect the MNO from any revenue loss due to frauds. Telgoo5’s billing system supports prepaid-postpaid integration method of billing. This feature makes the billing system all the more efficient and reliable. More and more MVNOs’ are showing an inclination towards billing systems that are powered by analytics which will empower them to get accurate reports on subscription, revenues, customer retention, and churn. Telgoo5’s billing system is equipped with all these special features, to know more please visit www.telgoo5.com

Don’t Go It Alone- 3 Major Reasons Why You Need An MVNE

MVNE and MVNO are two terms that are interchanged often in the business world, but they are totally different and understanding the distinction and the value of a good MVNE can save your business tons of money in the long run!

MVNE stands for Mobile Virtual Network Enabler. It’s a fancy term for companies that work with MNVO providers to offer a comfortable infrastructure for growth, handle administrative and billing tasks, and provide services at wholesale costs. MVNOs are Mobile Virtual Network Operators, individual companies that partner up with MVNEs to streamline their service and grow their customer base.

Think about an MVNE as a trusted safety net for your business. The best ones are able to withstand rapid growth and company change while catering to your operational needs. Smart MVNEs have secure, fail-proof operating systems that are constantly being updated and monitored for any problems. They will also conduct regular meetings with MNVOs as part of their commitment to customer service and transparency. Partnering with the right MVNE can skyrocket the success of your business and solidify your customer base.

You’ll Save Money

Many MNVEs save money to providers by offering cloud based solutions and handling these transactions from start to finish. You’ll save plenty of money in server costs, and also conserve more of your time, allowing you to focus on other important parts of your business like marketing or customer sales. Essentially MNVEs provide a comfortable space for you to operate within, taking care of all of the logistics and infrastructure.

At Telgoo5, a division of (v)WeCare, we know that the bottom line is important to MNVOs. That’s why we offer weekly calls to MNVOs and constantly keep them apprised of all of the innovative things that we’re doing to help them grow. Our feature-rich system is easy to use, and we consider ourselves to be much more of a partner than a vendor. We take care of distribution and inventory, using our market knowledge to save you as much money as possible.

Your Billing Will Be Taken Care Of

If accurate customer billing is a headache that you don’t want to deal with, an MVNE with billing capabilities could be the perfect solution to your problem. MVNEs offer outstanding billing services, saving your tons of money in administrative costs and keeping all of your customers right on track.

Telgoo5’s sophisticated billing software was designed to faciliate smart, accurate billing through periodic bill cycles that keep all of your customers on track. We pride ourselves on being a one-stop-shop for MVNOs, and we know that accurate billing is one big part of that. We have also been operational since 1999, so we know exactly how to deal with mulitiple customers and handle just about everything. We’ve seen it all!

They Can Scale With Your Company’s Needs

The last thing that you need is technology failing you when you’re trying to build your customer base. Unfortunately, nothing makes customers flee faster than infrastructure that can’t keep up. Good MVNEs know that they need to be able to scale with your needs or your customers risk losing service. That’s why it’s critical to find an MVNE with no single point of failure, a rich and flexible platform and an outstanding support team who will work with you to shoot for the stars!

Telgoo 5’s platform was designed specifically to scale. It was built from the ground up and is constantly being updated and enhanced to ensure that our customers are getting the best service possible. Our feature-rich platform combines CRM and BSS for a platform that simply will not let you down. We perform over 500 million transactions every day, employ over a thousand people and have offices all over the US. Our infrastructure was designed for US-based customers, and so far the reviews have been out of this world!

MVNEs are designed specifically to help streamline the process of getting your product to your end customers. Why worry about the hassle of trying to incorporate administrative tasks like billing, inventory or shipping onto your already full plate if you don’t have to? Choosing the right MVNE to partner with will save you tons of time, energy and money!

The Secret to Starting a Successful MVNO

Today, more new MVNO are being started than ever before. Fierce Wireless, an online publication reports that new MVNOs are being launched every week and interest in this business type is eclipsing the 2005-2006 craze that saw numerous high-profile MVNO startups. With numerous new entities rushing start their own MVNOs, many will inevitably fail to make a mark in the long run. To succeed in this competitive space, startups need to plan meticulously and identify the right niche in the market. Although the process is similar to starting any other business, they are unique procedures that you need to weather to start your own MVNO. If you are mulling starting an MVNO, it is important to identify the challenges that may curtail your success. Read on to explore the process, the unique challenges that await you, and get tips on how to smoothly start your own MVNO.

Starting Your Own MVNO – Similar to Starting Other Businesses

Image from Pixabay

To start your own MVNO, you will in  in many respects follow the same procedures like when starting any other business. To succeed, the following steps are critical:

Carving Out a Niche

It is likely that your up and coming MVNO will offer services that eerily similar to the offerings of other players already in the business. While the prospect of facing stiff competition discourages many potential entrepreneurs, it also presents opportunities to creative players. The only viable strategy for most new MVNOs is carving out a niche in the market and chipping away at and winning over customers from the other established providers. Indeed data from Strategy Analytics indicates that MVNOs in the current market conditions succeed by focusing on addressing particular market segments or value propositions.

MVNOs can thrive when they identify a certain set of services or pricing models that are not currently in the market. But deploying this strategy requires extensive knowledge about the set of customers that you will target. This insight is what will enable the company to tailor its offerings to the unique needs of the target segment. Common niches that can be targeted in the current environment include the following niches:

infrastructure MVNOs

These types of MVNOs focus on covering an area where major network providers don’t reach. For example, an MVNO may focus on providing the infrastructure to cover a mountain range where other network operators have no reach.

Retail MVNOs

These types of MVNOs target supermarkets and departmental stores to find subscribers to buy their sim cards.

Advertising-based MVNOs

These offer discounted services and some free services and in return they get access to advertise or subscribers devices.

Discount MVNOs

These target deal hunters. Such companies only offer basic services like voice and text. Although such companies get little earnings per subscriber, the hope to get enough subscribers to get a reasonable profit.

Getting the Tech In Place

MVNOs thrive on technology and you need to put in place the infrastructure and software you will need to serve your customers before getting started. You will need to set up your IT platform and get your billing in place. It is at this point that the company also sets up a CRM, customer care and network management systems. You can be able to save time and human resources by outsourcing billing, customer care, and similar services. Our system Telgoo5 can free up an MVNO’s human resources to focus on other aspects of the business. We can handle the Call Detail Records (CDRs) for both real-time interface (prepaid) and batch process (postpaid) subscribers. We can also handle your billing, data analytics, and other aspects of the technology platform.

At this point, you can also set up the website where subscribers can sign up for your services. It is worth noting that it is important for a new MVNO to identify and only invest in the right technology tools for a company of its size. Underinvestment could result into service failure due to overloading. Overinvestment, on the other hand, can bleed the company dry. The easiest way to ensure that new MVNOs invest in what is enough is by linking up with a good OSS system. Our platform Telgoo5 allows access just what you need at the time. We can take care of your billing, CRM, subscriber website, customer care, and everything you need to get started. Partnering with us can help you to launch your MVNO in as few as four weeks instead of months.

Starting Your Own MVNO – The Unique Challenges

A Potentially Risky Business

A measure of risk is involved when starting any type of business. But the sheer complexity of the MVNO launching process coupled with intricacies involved in making partnerships and the fierce competition that awaits new entrants connive to make starting a new MVNO an especially challenging venture. The fast rate at which telecommunications technology becomes obsolete means that you risk investing in technology and fail to recoup the investment costs. Successful MVNOs reduce risk by targeting a specific niches. They make and strictly follow a plan that addresses the needs of subscribers in that particular niche. A good platform like Telgoo5 can enable you to scale according to your business needs. This will enable your business to avoid paying for resources they currently don’t need.

Getting Licenses

To start your own MVNO, you will encounter a number of challenges that are peculiar to the telecommunications sector. To start a new MVNO, you will need to register and be certified by the right authorities. Being certified will enable you to get MSISDN and IMSI blocks. In the US, this certification is done by the FCC. This process will is critical if you are to start operations. Telgoo5 platform meets and exceeds all the license and regulatory requirements. We have helped a number of MVNOs to fasttrack the certification process and would be happy to help MVNO startups that need guidance during this process.

Making Partnerships

The MVNO business type thrives on partnerships. You will need to work with mobile carriers or aggregators to get subscribers. Many MVNOs startups soon learn that the most difficult part starting operations is not getting capital or even setting up the technology platform. Inking contract with big telecom companies is perhaps the single toughest feast to accomplish.

Telecom companies usually insist on certifying different aspects of MVNO operations before committing to working with them. These certifications processes usually take months of back and forth dealings and they may put a tremendous strain on the patience of the new startup owners. However, some MVNOs may be able to bypass some of these processes by linking up with with MVNEs and other partners. The MVNO can then utilize their existing platforms carrier agreements to get started. Our platform Telgoo5 is already integrated with all the major carriers. We also have partnerships with a number of of aggregators and MVNEs. Signing up at our platform will help you to save time and money and you will be able to start operations in a couple of weeks.

Setting up an MVNO is a potentially complex endeavor that involves planning, setting up platforms, linking up with suppliers and, getting the required certifications. However, if you link up with a good OSS parner, the process can be dramatically simplified and you stand to save a lot of time and money along the way. At Telgoo5, we provide billing, CRM, customer care, and more services to MVNOs and other telecom companies. Over the years, we have helped new MVNOs to flourish. Whether you are an established MVNO, a new company, or just exploring ways to get started, we can tailor our services to fit your needs. Contact us to explore ways we can partner today.