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51-794: In 1999, one2one became the world's first network to provide wireless network infrastructure to a mobile virtual network operator when Virgin Mobile was launched as a joint venture between one2one and Virgin Group . In 2010, it merged with Orange UK to form a joint venture, Everything Everywhere , which continued to operate the T-Mobile and Orange brands until March 2015 and allowed T-Mobile customers to utilise Orange's 2G signal and vice versa. In 2012, Everything Everywhere launched their new network branding as EE . T-Mobile sims remain fully supported by EE, who are ultimately owned by BT since they acquired

102-587: A 'significant' effect on competition. On 1 March 2010 the European Commission approved the merger, on the condition that the combined company sell 25% of the spectrum it owns on the 1800 MHz radio band and amend a network sharing agreement with smaller rival 3 . On 1 April 2010 Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom finalised the deal and completed the merger of their UK based operations, causing Orange UK and T-Mobile UK to cease to exist as companies, although they continued as brands. On 11 May 2010 it

153-620: A 10.5% shareholding. NTL:Telewest rebranded under the Virgin Media name on 8 February 2007. The company set up in 2004, Virgin Mobile Group (UK) Limited, became dormant and was eventually dissolved in 2020. In May 2020, it was announced that the owner of Virgin Mobile, Virgin Media , was in talks with Telefónica , owner of the O2 network, to merge the two companies. Following approval by

204-449: A choice between around 40 MVNOs. According to the FCC, approximately 7% of all U.S. mobile subscribers were served by resellers, including MVNOs, and analysts found that the 15.1 million wireless subscribers served by resellers by the end of 2006 had increased by 1.6 million over the previous year. MVNOs are distinguished by their commitment to owning and managing the operational components of

255-403: A major breach of UK data protection laws. UK Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said the data was sold for “substantial amounts of money” to brokers working for other mobile phone companies. The privacy watchdog said it planned to prosecute and would push for jail terms for anyone convicted. Rival companies bought the information and used it to make cold calls to the customers offering them

306-571: A new contract with a new network. Mobile virtual network operator A mobile virtual network operator ( MVNO ) is a wireless communications services provider that does not own the wireless network infrastructure over which it provides services to its customers. An MVNO enters into a business agreement with a mobile network operator to obtain bulk access to network services at wholesale rates, then sets retail prices independently. An MVNO may use its own customer service, billing support systems, marketing, and sales personnel, or it could employ

357-618: A number of investments in Britain dating back to its days as the US West Media Group . During this time One2One used a high-profile TV campaign featuring celebrities such as Ian Wright , Kate Moss and John McCarthy . The network was purchased by Deutsche Telekom in 1999 and rebranded as T-Mobile in summer 2002. T-Mobile offered both pay-as-you-go and pay-monthly contract phones. The pay-monthly contracts consisted of set numbers of minutes and 'flexible boosters' which allow

408-405: A recommendation from the national telecom regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India , to permit VNOs in the country, and announced the grant of a unified license for Virtual Network Operators on 31 May 2016. VNOs have formed an association to represent current regulatory issues impacting their MVNO business viability. In Nigeria, the licensing of telecommunications operators is overseen by

459-485: A restricted spectrum . In 1997 Vodafone Australia and TotalTel launched FastFone, the world's first true prepaid MVNO utilising the worlds first fully MNO integrated MVNE platform supplied by Isoton (formerly Steadycom). FastFone's MVNO model was very successful, attracting more than 300,000 subscribers in 18 months. Vodafone purchased the business in 1999. With European markets newly open to competition and new technology enabling better service and cheaper handsets, there

510-575: A result, there are around 700 EE stores open in the UK. As of February 2015, EE stores only offer EE products, with T-Mobile services withdrawn. T-Mobile's UK network was also used as the backbone network behind Virgin Mobile UK (the world's first virtual mobile operator ), for both 2G and 3G signals. Post-merger, Virgin Mobile continued to run on the EE network until they migrated to Vodafone. On 26 March 2014

561-413: A £962.4   million recommended offer for Virgin Mobile. The offer had three options: 372   pence per share in cash; 0.23245 new NTL:Telewest Inc. shares for each Virgin Mobile share, worth 389   pence; or 0.18596 of an NTL:Telewest share, and 67   pence in cash, worth in total 387p. Branson indicated that he would accept the third option, which led to him receiving at least a 10.1% stake in

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612-473: Is used in full. Virgin Mobile originally offered pay-as-you-go contracts, but in October 2019 these were closed to new customers and tariffs were increased for existing customers. On 6 November 2019, it was announced that Virgin Mobile would end their 20-year contract with BT and EE, and would use Vodafone 's network from 2021, initially for five years. From January 2021 new customers were connected to

663-715: The Communications Consumer Panel sent a joint letter to the then Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes in December 2009 asking for the merger to be investigated by authorities in the United Kingdom , rather than Brussels . The British Office of Fair Trading joined this call by asking the EU to allow it to investigate the proposed deal in February 2010, saying that it believed the merger could have

714-765: The Competition and Markets Authority , the merger to form Virgin Media O2 was completed on 1 June 2021. Virgin Media said that Virgin Mobile customers would see no immediate changes. In January 2023, it was confirmed by Virgin Media O2 that Virgin Mobile would close, with all customers moving from Virgin Mobile to O2; migration started in March 2023 and was completed in August 2023. On 31 August 2023, sales of new Virgin Mobile SIM only and device plans were stopped and

765-484: The Data Protection Act 1998 . On 17 November 2009, T-Mobile admitted that it faced a consumer backlash after it was revealed that due to its own lax data security controls an employee had been selling customer data to third party companies. The mobile operator admitted that one of their own employees is facing prosecution after selling personal details of thousands of British customers to rival companies in

816-408: The quadplay of Virgin Media services. Virgin Media was purchased by Liberty Global in 2013, and merged with O2 in 2021. The company began transferring customers to O2 services from March 2023, and it ceased trading on 31 August 2023 upon completion of all customer transfers. Existing Virgin Mobile UK customers are still legally contracted to Virgin Mobile UK, but with O2 providing the services until

867-652: The "big five" banks in South Africa , FNB , created an MVNO named FNB Connect providing voice, SMS and data services. As of 31 December 2019, FNB Connect had around 670,000 subscribers. The service makes use of Cell C network infrastructure. The move came not necessarily to compete in the telecommunications market, but to offer a greater value to customers of the banking division. There have been several banks in South Africa making this move, like Standard Bank 's SB Mobile established in 2019. MVNOs target both

918-718: The 2100 MHz 3G network of state telecom service TOT Public Company Limited (TOT) in 2009. As of January 2017, two of the original five MVNOs are still in service. As of December 2018, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) had issued 58 MVNO licenses in Thailand, a total of nine have launched, four remain active. In India , the Telecom Department under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, accepted

969-584: The Autumn of 2003. On 12 December 2007, it was confirmed that a merger of the high-speed 3G and HSDPA networks operated by T-Mobile UK and 3 was to take place starting January 2008. This resulted in T-Mobile and 3 having the largest HSDPA mobile phone network in the country, with HSDPA access initially restricted to Web'n'Walk Plus customers and above. On 8 September 2009 France Télécom 's Orange and T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom announced they were in advanced talks to merge their UK operations to create

1020-689: The Internet using static websites. T-Mobile says: "Browsing means looking at websites and checking email, but not watching videos, downloading files or playing games. We've got a fair use policy but ours means that you'll always be able to browse the Internet, it's only when you go over the fair use amount that you won't be able to download, stream and watch video clips." This will effectively limit customers ability to use services such as Video chat/conference, Online streaming radio/TV news etc. or accessing e-mail attachments and playing online games or even downloading updates. The initial reports were that this

1071-525: The MNO SONOFON had solidified the first viable MVNO agreement with Tele2 . This agreement provided Tele2 with access to SONOFON's network for both mobile and roaming services, the latter of which had been requested by (and denied to) Sense Communications. With the new regulations in place, MVNOs in Scandinavia eventually grew to a market share of above 10%. By 2008, US wireless subscribers had

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1122-499: The MNO. Sometimes referred to as a "Thick MVNO". The MVNO manages a more complete technical implementation with its own infrastructure which allows the MVNO more control over its offerings. These MVNOs have a heavier focus on branding, customer-ownership, and differentiation through added services like data and SIM applications. These MVNOs have a network implementation operating essentially

1173-399: The MVNO business model, consisting of: Because MVNOs are effectively defined by their lack of spectrum licenses, an MVNO necessarily will need to have agreements in place to access the network of at least one MNO. The type of MVNO is determined by how "thick" or "thin" a technological layer an MVNO adds over its access to its host MNO's network. Sometimes referred to as a "Skinny MVNO", as

1224-638: The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). As part of its regulatory framework, the NCC reclassified telecommunications licences into class and individual licences. This regulatory structure ensures that all telecom service providers, including MVNOs, comply with national guidelines and operate within the appropriate legal framework for their respective services. Virgin Mobile UK Virgin Mobile UK

1275-641: The T-Mobile UK website was closed and redirected to the EE website (although it now redirects to the Deutsche Telekom website). In February 2015, T-Mobile UK and Orange UK tariffs were no longer offered to new or upgrading customers. In January 2016 BT acquired EE for £12.5 billion. Effective 1 February 2011 T-Mobile UK lowered their fair-use capacity limit on Internet usage from 3GB to 500MB per month and clarified that Internet access using their mobile broadband service in reality only allows browsing

1326-662: The United Kingdom's first "quadruple play" media company, bringing together TV, broadband internet access , mobile phone and fixed-line phone services, and allowing NTL:Telewest to use the Virgin brand. Under the deal, Virgin owner Sir Richard Branson was understood to be planning to swap his controlling 72% stake in Virgin Mobile for a 14% holding in NTL:Telewest, which would make the billionaire entrepreneur

1377-520: The Virgin Group, with the agreement that if the company were to become public in the following two and a half years they would receive 25% of the proceeds. The two companies had previously argued over the terms of the agreement made in 1999 and Richard Branson had filed a High Court action against T-Mobile. Branson had considered making Virgin Mobile public in 2002. Eventually, dealing in shares of Virgin Mobile began on 21 July 2004, with 37% of

1428-530: The Vodafone network, and it was reported that existing customers would be moved from EE to Vodafone by early 2022. However, following the mid-2021 merger, Virgin Media O2 stated that notice to cancel the MVNO agreement had been given, and that the company intended to bring all consumer mobile services onto the O2 network. In January 2021, Virgin Media launched 5G services using the Vodafone network. Later that year,

1479-552: The biggest shareholder in the combined group, and give him a share of future revenues. The first bid of £817   million (US$ 1.4   billion) was rejected by Virgin Mobile's independent directors, who took the view that NTL:Telewest's bid "undervalued the business." Branson was reported to be confident that a restructured deal could be completed. The offer was increased in January 2006, to £961   million, or 372   pence per share. On 4 April 2006, NTL:Telewest announced

1530-513: The company in January 2016 for £12.5 billion. The network was originally launched as Mercury One2One , a GSM mobile network operated by the now-defunct Mercury Communications . It was the world's first GSM 1800 network when it was launched in September 1993. It was later rebranded as simply One2One , when it was operated for a short time as a joint venture between Cable & Wireless plc and American cable provider Mediaone Group , which had

1581-466: The consumer and enterprise markets. The majority of MVNOs are consumer-focused and most have a focus on price as their selling point; on average, customers of major carriers spend about 3.4 times as much on their service as MVNO customers. At the end of year 2022, there were 1,986 active MVNOs globally, more than double the amount of traditional telecom network operators. Europe lead in terms of most active MVNOs in operation with 1,012, representing half of

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1632-589: The creation of the first MVNO in the Arab world in 2010. The Saudi government is making preparations to permit MVNO services in the country. In Brazil , MVNOs are regulated by Anatel , the Brazilian Agency of Telecommunications , in November 2010. As of September 2014 the combined market share of all Brazilian MVNOs was just 0.04%. In Thailand , five MVNOs were given a Type II license to operate on

1683-434: The customer to change them month to month depending on their needs. Prior to this T-Mobile had a contract option known as 'Flext' which gave the user an amount of money to use for calls, texts, MMS and mobile internet as necessary. This was withdrawn in early 2010. There is no warning when pay-monthly customers exceed their monthly inclusive limit, leading to unexpectedly large bills. T-Mobile launched their 3G UMTS services in

1734-599: The end of the contract. Virgin Mobile was launched in November 1999 as a private joint venture between One2One (later T-Mobile UK) and the Virgin Group . The joint venture involved leasing network bandwidth from One2One and re-selling it under the Virgin Mobile brand, making it significantly cheaper to run than if Virgin operated its own network infrastructure. The company reported its first annual profit in 2003, following successful Christmas sales. In 2004 Deutsche Telekom sold their 50% holding in Virgin Mobile to

1785-491: The largest mobile operator with 37% of the market. The long-term future of either brand was unclear, though EE stated that both would be retained for the first eighteen months at least. In 2013, parent company EE began to withdraw the T-Mobile brand, with the website closed and redirected to EE. As of February 2015, new T-Mobile connections are no longer possible for new customers and in early 2019, they would have to switch to EE or have their service terminated Consumer Focus and

1836-760: The market share of MVNOs in 2022 is 13.4%. Vietnam currently has 5 MVNO providers as May 2024, mostly operating and relying on 2 main providers: VinaPhone and MobiFone. Thsese includes: Local,FPT Retail,Wintel,iTel,VNSKY. In 2003, the European Commission issued a recommendation to national telecom regulators to examine the competitiveness of the market for wholesale access and call origination on public mobile telephone networks. The study resulted in new regulations from regulators in several countries, including Ireland and France forcing operators to open up their networks to MVNOs. Jordan 's top watchdog issued its first MVNO regulations in 2008, facilitating

1887-522: The market share of MVNOs is 12.2% in 2019. The total number of contractors is 22.3 million. The three US national carriers have partial or full ownership of several large MVNO brands, such as Cricket Wireless (AT&T), TracFone Wireless (Verizon) and Metro by T-Mobile (T-Mobile). The UK had 77 active MVNOs as of December 2018. The MVNOs combined market share was 15.9% of the total UK mobile market, representing 15.3 million connections. Ireland has seven active MVNO brands as of February 2021, and

1938-558: The merger meant Virgin Mobile customers reported losing signal as EE consolidated the coverage of the two formerly separate networks. As part of the merger, Virgin Media continued the agreement with EE to use its network, and phones could roam between a formerly T-Mobile UK mast and a former Orange mast from early October 2011. In November 2016, Virgin launched 4G with new tariffs and an unused monthly data rollover feature. Users on 4G plans have free access to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger apps by " zero-rating " until their data allowance

1989-405: The network ceased operations. Virgin Mobile sells contract airtime, mobile phones and mobile broadband , marketed through Virgin Media and its high street stores. Following the 2010 merger of T-Mobile and Orange to form EE , many Virgin Media customers were able to use phones previously locked to either of these companies, although EE SIMs would not work in phones locked to Virgin. However,

2040-498: The newly enlarged NTL:Telewest, and helped to fund the increased 372p per share in cash for the minority shareholders. The independent directors of Virgin Mobile indicated to NTL:Telewest that they "intended unanimously to recommend that Virgin Mobile shareholders vote in favour of the scheme". NTL:Telewest acquired Virgin Mobile on 4 July 2006, delisting it from the London Stock Exchange and leaving Virgin Group with

2091-407: The reseller almost totally relies on the MNO's facilities. They do not own any network elements, but may own and operate their own customer care, marketing, and sales operations. Sometimes referred to as a "Light MVNO". The service provider operates its own customer support, marketing, sales and distribution operations, and has the ability to set its tariffs independently from the retail prices set by

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2142-649: The same technology as a mobile network operator. Full MVNOs only lack their own radio networks. As of June 2014, 943 MVNOs and 255 MNO sub-brands were active worldwide. This represents a total of almost 1,200 mobile service providers worldwide hosted by MNOs, up from 1,036 in 2012, According to GSMA Intelligence, between June 2010 and June 2015, the number of MVNOs worldwide increased by 70 percent, reaching 1,017 in June 2015. As of December 2018, there were 1,300 active MVNOs operating in 80 countries, representing more than 220 million mobile connections—approximately 2.46% of

2193-571: The services of a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE). MVNO agreements with network operators date back to the 1990s, when the European and Australian telecom markets saw market liberalization, new regulatory frameworks, better 2G network technology, and a subsequent jump in wireless subscriber numbers. Though the new 2G networks more efficiently managed the limited frequency bands allocated to wireless service, new mobile entrants were still limited by their ability to access frequency bands in

2244-419: The shares made available for sale as an initial public offering and the rest held by the Virgin Group. At the time, the company had 4.1 million customers and employed 1,400 staff in the UK; the listing valued the company at £500   million. In December 2005 it was announced that Virgin Mobile UK was in talks with NTL:Telewest regarding a sale. The combination of Virgin Mobile and NTL:Telewest would create

2295-693: The total 8.9 billion mobile connections in the world. The eight countries with the largest number of active MVNOs in 2018 were: the US with 139 MVNOs (4.7% market share), Germany with 135 (19.5% market share), Japan 83 (10.6%), UK 77 (15.9%), Australia 66 (13.1%), Spain 63 (11.5%), France 53 (11.2%) and Denmark 49 (34.6%). In addition to traditional cellular voice and messaging services, in 2014, 120 MVNOs also were offering mobile broadband services. In Africa, Uganda has registered three MVNOs so far, some having their own network infrastructure within major cities, but acting as an MVNO out of these cities. In 2015, one of

2346-655: The total global MVNO market. It is followed by Americas with 379 MVNOs, Asia with 322, International with 131, Oceania with 84, Africa with 54 and Middle East with 5. Some MVNOs have a presence in multiple countries, either as subsidiaries, joint ventures, or through brand licensing agreements with local partners, including Lycamobile in 60 countries, Virgin Mobile in 14 countries, Lebara in 10 countries, CMLink in five countries, Tesco Mobile in four countries, Line Mobile in three countries, Aldi Talk in six countries, Kogan.com Mobile in two countries, and L-Mobi Mobile in two countries. Japan has about 80 MVNO brands, and

2397-560: Was a mobile phone service provider. The company was launched by Virgin Group and One2One in 1999 as the world's first mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), initially using the One2One network. Virgin Mobile offered contract mobile packages, as well as mobile broadband services. It sold its services directly, as well as through price comparison sites. NTL:Telewest bought Virgin Mobile on 4 April 2006 and rebranded itself as Virgin Media on 9 February 2007; Virgin Mobile became part of

2448-683: Was a massive surge in demand for cellular phones. In the midst of this swell, Sense Communications fought for access to mobile network operator (MNO) spectrum in Scandinavia in 1997. Sense was able to establish an MVNO agreement with Sonera in Finland, but it failed to persuade MNOs in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Sense then appealed to EU regulators, citing provisions that required certain MNOs to allow new entrants interconnection. While Sense's claim

2499-454: Was announced that both the Orange and T-Mobile brands would remain on British high streets, although their new merged parent company will be called EE. In September 2012, T-Mobile's parent company EE announced that all Orange and T-Mobile stores were to be re-branded as 'EE' stores by 30 October 2012, the launch date of their 4G network, offering products from all three brands of the company. As

2550-650: Was denied, in November 1999, the company signed a service provider agreement with Telia/Telenor Mobile for GSM network capacity access, allowing Sense to offer services to its own customers in Sweden and Norway. Despite Sense's initial failure, the regulator in Denmark saw the promise in the MVNO model as a cost-effective route for telecom companies to enter the market and in May 2000, legislation passed that required network operators with significant market power to open up access to their infrastructure. By August of that same year,

2601-489: Was for all users, but after threats of contract breaches it was announced that it would apply to new and upgrading customers only - existing contracts would be honoured. In November 2009, T-Mobile UK was the subject of an investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office following the involvement of some T-Mobile employees in the illegal trade of personal data of millions of customers, in breach of

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