New MVNOs: Challenger brands and lessons from the UK market

Disruptors from other industries are turning their attention to the mobile market. They can learn from the vibrant UK MVNO market.

Welcome to our ‘Coffee break reading’ series. These pieces are designed to be short and easy to read, presenting our opinion on a hot topic and challenging you to think about it too.

In this edition, we look into the potential of ‘challenger’ brands from other sectors to shake up the UK mobile services market and what this means for other players.

Companies that have disrupted significant industries, such as finance and utilities, are turning to mobile services via a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) model. As learnings from the UK market show, MVNOs can make a big impact on pricing and customer service expectations. But success is not easy – and even the most successful MVNOs have taken time to build a significant customer base. Mobile network operators (MNOs) should be aware of the benefits MVNOs bring to the market and participate in it as wholesalers – otherwise, their competitors will reap higher rewards.

Download now to get our take in a 7-minute read.

Our insight covers the following key points:

• ‘Challenger’ brands eye the MVNO opportunity
• Out-of-the-box MVNO solutions enable the boom
• Why look for lessons from the UK MVNO market?
• Lessons from the UK MVNO market
• Recommendations

Related research

• How telcos can put their stamp on digital identity
• Did the telecom AI era dawn in Copenhagen?
• Tariffs and telcos: Uncertainty and long-term moves

Marina Koytcheva

Marina Koytcheva

Director, Research

Marina works across STL Partners’ research portfolio, with a specific focus on the Executive Briefing Service, consumer services and sustainability. She joined STL Partners in 2023 with 18 years of experience as a market analyst, first at Nokia, and then at CCS Insight where she led the market forecasting practice across all technology areas and modelled the impact of major global disruptions. She has wide expertise across telecoms, hyperscalers, device markets, consumer behaviour, and the impact of macroeconomic factors on the tech industry. Marina holds an MSc in Finance and Economics, and an MBA.