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A European retail bank decided to launch a mobile proposition for its current account customers. They wanted control — over subscriber data, over pricing logic, over the ability to connect mobile usage to transaction history. So they chose a full MVNO model and contracted a BSS platform vendor accordingly. The project took 34 months from commercial decision to live service. By that point, two fintech competitors had launched mobile propositions, attracted a combined 600,000 subscribers, and were bundling banking and mobile in ways the bank had originally planned as its own differentiator.

A mid-sized MVNO reached 400,000 prepaid subscribers and something unexpected happened: margin per subscriber started falling, despite a recently renegotiated wholesale rate with the host MNO. The finance director couldn't explain it. The wholesale rate had improved. ARPU was stable. But the unit economics were worse.

Latin America (LATAM) and Africa are moving from being “experimental MVNO” regions to becoming strategically important growth markets for mobile virtual network operators and the MVNE platforms that enable them. For telecom executives, this shift changes the core question from “Is an MVNO viable here?” to “How fast can we enter — and on what digital foundation?” 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn't just the future of telecom—it's already reshaping the industry. Today, over 60% of telcos use AI in various capacities, and industry forecasts indicate this will rise to 90% by 2027. AI, particularly generative AI, is transforming telecom’s Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operations Support Systems (OSS), fundamentally enhancing both customer experiences and operational efficiency.