Articles

At the end of my last article, I said that I would provide a comprehensive overview of where the three top carriers are with their 5G buildout, based on interviews with industry experts. While the amount of coverage is growing every day, the message to wireless subscribers is still a confusing one; who’s network is better, faster, covers more people? We’ll try to present the facts on where T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon are, what technology that they are using and attempt … Continue reading “Breakdown Of Carrier 5G Networks, And How MVNOs Should Strategize”

Help Wanted….. Is Your MVNO Ready? Now that the headline has grabbed you, what do you mean, Jon, that Help is Wanted? I mean that there are many segments of customers that are not being served by wireless providers. Too many carriers, MVNOs, resellers, etc. go after the regular users…… individuals, families, small businesses and enterprise opportunities. Have you thought out of the box and looked for other, untapped markets that have a need for wireless connections? If living during … Continue reading “Help Wanted….. Is Your MVNO Ready?”

I had the opportunity to be interviewed during the inaugural Dealer Success Summit (DSS ’21) in May as part of National Independent Wireless Dealer Month.  DSS ’21 was an entire month long virtual seminar! Each week-day featured as many as 4 sessions (each no longer than 30 minutes.) DSS ‘21 was designed to educate the dealers on how to become more successful. The two main tracks were “Making Money in Wireless” and “The Future of Wireless” – Each day started … Continue reading “My DSS ’21 Session”

If you’ve been following my writing on the why, how, and reasons to get into the MVNO space, I’ve talked about various pain points that need to be solved in order to be successful: having a differentiator establishing a distribution strategy knowing your target market being well-funded trying to compete on price alone being prepared to be in this for the long haul Despite many household name brands that checked off most of these boxes, the MVNO highway is littered with quite a few … Continue reading “Why Do MVNOs Fail?”

Last time I wrote about Things to Know Before Starting an MVNO. Now I’m going to take you through the process of actually starting one. A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) is a wireless company that does not have its own wireless network infrastructure, like the towers owned and operated by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. MVNOs enter into a business agreement with a mobile network operator to buy access to the network at wholesale cost, then they set their own retail prices independently for talk, text and data. … Continue reading “How To Start Your Own MVNO”

I have written articles for BestMVNO on the MVNO space, discussing what an MVNO means for the carriers, dealers and customers; why should I buy from an MVNO, what differentiates MVNOs from each other (and the carrier) and what markets the MVNO serves. With all of your feedback, the one question that surprised me was a very simple one: Why Start an MVNO? There is an old joke in the wireless industry that goes like this: if you want to eventually exit the wireless business … Continue reading “Things You Must Know Before Starting Your Own MVNO”

As previously discussed, MVNO’s need to Differentiate themselves to best serve their dealers and customers.  This brings us to the concept of Alignment.  Alignment is the agreement between two parties with regards to goods or services that are to be delivered.  Knowing what your supplier (in our case, what the carrier or MVNO is capable of delivering) can do and depending on a steady flow of product, information and backroom services is critical for the dealer’s success.  For example, you … Continue reading “Are You in Alignment With Your Dealers?”

What’s my niche? Who am I going to target? Where can I generate more sales by having a laser focus on a specific target audience? These are questions that every MVNO should be asking themselves so they don’t wind up as a “me-too” provider or continue to fuel the price race to the bottom. If you’ve ever had the discussion with your management team on Strategy vs. Tactics, look at finding your niche as your strategy and using your differentiator (that word just keeps … Continue reading “To Niche or Not to Niche? That is the Question MVNOs Must Ask!”

What ARE The 4 P’s Of Marketing? Any of us that took an Intro to Marketing class, or learned the hard way by learning how to attract customers through trial and error, know that there are four P’s in Marketing: Product, Pricing Promotion, and Placement. For most of us in the wireless business, our Product is wireless devices, rate plans, and accessories. Pricing, while in many cases is dictated by the carrier, allows us to attract a customer and offer a fair price that in … Continue reading “MVNOS, What’s Your Distribution Strategy?”

Thank you to BEST MVNO for the nice mention on their article about how 4 MVNOs used differentiation to their advantage. You can read the article here.