U.S. MVNO Market Analysis, Market Size, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies And Forecasts, 2015 To 2022

The Mobile Virtual Network Operator market is anticipated to witness significant growth over the forecast period. An MVNO is a reseller of wireless communication services. An MVNO sets agreements with existing MNOs as it neither seizes its network infrastructure nor is a licensed frequency spectrum. They obtain bulk access to the mobile communication network at the wholesale rate and set retail prices for their consumers, which drives the MNVO market demand. Regulatory policies designed to increase competition and growing interest in the MVNO market are expected to increase the number of MVNOs worldwide owing to which, operators emphasize on focused offerings to target audience with strong customer care component.

Growing mobile subscribers worldwide are expected to be a key driver in this industry. Technological enhancement in smartphones coupled with increasing mobile broadband speed is supposed to impact favorably growth. Need for cheaper mobile services along with growing competition are further expected to fuel market demand over the forecast period. The necessity to manage & control data, billing and customer interactions is expected to be major components for driving infrastructure strategy for MVNOs. Nevertheless, a decrease in revenue per customer for MNO, leading to cost reduction benefits to consumers is expected to contribute to product demand favorably. Emerging services such as mobile money and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) is estimated to fuel market demand significantly as they are expected to provide cheaper mobility options targeting sectors including lifestyle, entertainment, and productivity.

Additionally, MVNO strongly contributes to MNO revenue by offering wholesale deals, increasing network utilization, increasing their share in mature markets, producing their MVNOs by launching sub-brands, expanding into niche segments and also generating additional revenue from leasing out their networks. However, lack of operational expertise coupled with reduced tariffs is expected to hinder market growth over the next six years. Also, low-profit margins and high competition from existing MNOs may pose a challenge to the U.S. MVNO market growth.

North America is projected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. This may be attributed to favorable regulatory frameworks, thereby playing a crucial role in the development of the market. In this region, data services are likely to be the key services contributing towards the regional demand over the next seven years. Emerging technologies such as cloud are projected to offer new growth prospects over the forecast period.

The industry is projected to witness significant rate of inter and intra-nation migration over the next few years owing to business and education prospects. Further, promising regulatory policies and constructive MNO support are expected to drive regional growth. Voice controlled facilities for distant devices in patient monitoring, medical, and security applications may offer new prospects for regional growth. MVNOs provide an assortment of services including M2M, remote management of vending machines, sports, surveillance and measuring devices. The market is anticipated to foresee prominent growth over the coming years owing to the applications as mentioned earlier.

Operators are supposed to offer differentiated services to avoid direct competition from MNOs. They target businesses, retail, roaming services, lifestyle and advertising funded MVNO’s. Major business models comprise of branded seller, intermediate, full and thin models. The three primary MVNOs involve the reseller, the service operator, and full MVNO. The main fortes of being a reseller contain the desirability of the business model to potential partners and the capability to launch quickly. Key industry participants include Virgin Mobile USA, Tesco Mobile Ltd., Boost Mobile, Lyca Mobile, FRiENDi Mobile, Poste Mobile, TracFone Wireless Inc., KDDI Mobile, and Lebara Group. In August 2012, Virgin hurled Virgin TV, which allows users to stream up to 90 live TV channels by utilizing mobile devices. Tracfone and Virgin Mobile USA exists as the two largest purveyors in the U.S.