How MVNEs Enabled the Age of Personalized Connectivity

Consumer choice is a defining aspect of today’s digital experiences. Along with pricing and regional availability, the success of streaming platforms like Disney+ or Netflix is determined by the quantity and choice of content available. Over the last decade, Amazon and Apple have evolved from an e-commerce site and hardware manufacturer, respectively, to all-in-one digital platforms offering shopping, entertainment, streaming, and more. We’ve previously explored the rise of these “super apps” and the digital battle for user retention. Increasingly, the connectivity required to access these apps is becoming part of the service.

Today's customers expect choice and control – they customize their home screens, app ecosystems, and even digital identities. Connectivity is the next frontier. Digital platforms are taking note and expanding their services to offer users personalized mobile plans.

This shift is made possible by two emergent developments in telecoms: eSIM technology and Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) solutions.

The "personalized everything" economy

This shift has in part been driven by advancements in mobile hardware – as smartphones become more sophisticated, they have evolved from communication tools to personal computers, often preferred to desktops for even high-data tasks like video streaming and online gaming.

The Netflix mobile app has been downloaded over one billion times, while nearly 40% of all e-commerce purchases in the US are made on phones. Neobanks, or digital-only banks accessible via an app, are a clear example of this shift – the Brazilian neobank Magie runs entirely within the WhatsApp app, for example.

Connectivity is the natural extension of this same expectation. Users don’t just want data; they want data their way: flexible, transparent, and aligned with their lifestyle. Any digital brand can now fulfill this need by launching its own branded eSIM plans and becoming an MVNO.

How to become an MVNO

In an era of monthly subscriptions, the long-term model of traditional mobile operators feels increasingly incongruous. For decades, legacy telecoms providers have relied on relationships with their customers, based on multi-year contracts and a limited selection of plan types. In the SIM card age, switching operators was often a notoriously lengthy process, with “lock-in” contracts an industry norm.

The digital economy and eSIMs have broken this cycle. Now, consumers can treat connectivity the same way they treat other digital services, shopping around for a deal that mirrors their digital needs, tastes, and changing behaviors.

Instead of signing up to a plan from a major telecoms supplier, customers can use an eSIM from a brand they’re already familiar with, like a digital bank, supermarket app, or even a celebrity figurehead. This is one of the reasons behind the surging Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) and embedded telco market.

Unlike MNOs, MVNOs don’t own the physical infrastructure required to gain access to the radio access network. Instead, they lease this from an established Mobile Network Operator (MNO). This allows them to launch an MVNO without prior telecoms infrastructure or in-house personnel.

This MVNO enablement is provided by a wide range of companies, from “light” MVNOs that outsource nearly all technical operations to third-party providers, to “heavy” MVNOs that own and control a greater portion of their physical infrastructure.

All MVNOs, to varying degrees, rely on MVNEs to handle technical aspects of their connectivity service.

MVNEs and embedded connectivity

An MVNE is the service provider brands use to launch their own telecoms product. Unlike an MVNO, MVNEs aren’t customer-facing products. Instead, they provide expertise, infrastructure, and technical support to develop and launch MVNOs. This can range from administrative tasks like billing and negotiating roaming agreements, to in-depth technical support and leasing of physical infrastructure. MVNEs help brands launch agile MVNOs that offer variety and choice rather than uniformity.

By working with an MVNE, any brand with a digital presence, regardless of prior telecommunications experience, can launch its own mobile connectivity service.

How MVNEs enable flexible, choice-based connectivity

As a bridge between network infrastructure and digital brands, MVNEs are central to the new, flexible connectivity market. Key to their success, however, is established telco experience and deep product knowledge.

1GLOBAL occupies a unique niche in the telecoms landscape – as both an MVNO and MVNE, we understand the exact requirements brands need to connect with their customers, and how to technically achieve them.

By embracing a partner as technically proficient as 1GLOBAL, brands can leverage the full potential of eSIM services while focusing their attention on building customer relationships and marketing. This model has helped brands from a wide range of industries, including airlines, banks, and even traditional mobile operators, launch their own eSIM services.

In the new choice-based frontier of consumer digital engagement, brands that offer diverse services on a single platform have an edge. MVNE platforms are making the previously opaque world of telecoms approachable for a wider spectrum of companies, helping customers to find a more fitting service provider, and helping brands to diversify their revenue streams through embedded connectivity.

The 1GLOBAL advantage

This practice of "white-label" eSIMs – or companies repackaging and reselling eSIM services under their own brand – is growing fast. In 2025, MVNOs outnumber MNOs by more than 2 to 1. It’s important to recognize the varying degrees of embedded telco plans and the trade-offs involved.

Some light MVNOs are in effect eSIM resellers, with every aspect of their connectivity plan governed by the network operator they lease their connectivity from. While this approach requires minimal initial investment, it leaves resellers with little to no control over the pricing, coverage, and service quality of their eSIMs. The public-facing brand is at the mercy of any changes. Crucially, this can impact the service’s scalability.

By partnering with 1GLOBAL, clients are empowered to be more than just resellers – they gain access to a worldwide network provider, with geo-redundant data centers, GSMA accreditation, and proprietary eSIM infrastructure.

However, the swift market entry this offers is often tempered by a lack of control over the final product. 1GLOBAL enables true reselling – clients can enjoy the full potential of eSIMs and meet the growing demand as it scales, with a global outlook, redundant data centers, and access to full control over the eSIM ecosystem via a full MVNO infrastructure.

1. Cost efficiency

The reason the mobile market is dominated by such a small handful of legacy telcos is that building wireless infrastructure is a monumental undertaking. The physical networks of masts, data centers, and platforms used to grant entry to the radio access network have been developed over decades. 1GLOBAL allows any brand with a digital platform to enter the same market, without long-term investments, a physical presence, or committing to the months (or even years)-long access agreements often required by traditional MNOs.

As well as reducing initial expenditure, flexible agreements:

• Encourage expansion, enabling brands to leverage short-term and seasonal opportunities without long-term costs

• Lay the groundwork for a scalable and sustainable telecoms product.

2. Scalability

Keeping digital products scalable and open-ended is crucial to success. The global demand for eSIMs and wireless data is skyrocketing, with eSIMs predicted to account for three-quarters of smartphone connections by 2030.

Any brand exploring connectivity services must prepare for this anticipated rise in demand by ensuring its products can grow with its audience. An eSIM service like 1GLOBAL provides a flexible solution that can be continually adapted to match the demand required by the client. For new MVNOs, this is an invaluable asset to building a sustainable service and maintaining customer relationships.

As eSIM adoption continues to grow around the world, eSIM-based services are an ideal option for brands trialing international expansion. The short-term, digital-only nature allows companies to trial connectivity services in new markets, raising brand awareness without having to conduct extensive research or commit to a physical presence.

3. Regulatory compliance

Establishing trust is a crucial step when introducing customers to a new product – particularly a telecommunications service, where customer data and privacy are involved. A successful MVNO must adhere to rigorous security protocols.

As a licensed MVNO in 10 countries, 1GLOBAL has a track record of proven security and continually updates its services to incorporate privacy best practices. Leveraging the service of an established MVNO/MVNE like 1GLOBAL allows brands to incorporate new telecoms products into their offering, safe in the knowledge that customer security is assured.

4. Innovation

The bundle economy depends on the ongoing development and incorporation of new services into digital platforms: streamers become “service providers”, digital banks become “financial hubs”, and supermarkets offer everything from health insurance to phone plans.

With the myriad digital products and subscriptions now crowding for attention, collating disparate services into a single source is beneficial for both customers and service providers.

Neobanks are a clear example: most digital banks began life as a supplementary option to brick-and-mortar branches, offering low-spec, easy-to-use current accounts for daily usage, often in tandem with a traditional bank account for longer-term savings, loans, and mortgages. Today, digital banks are defined by the breadth of financial services they offer: major platforms like N26 offer everything from loans to high-yield savings accounts, crypto wallets, and stock advice. Over the last few years, banking platforms including Revolut, N26, and Bunq have all used 1GLOBAL to add eSIM plans to their list of services.

A successful super app is defined by availability and response to demand, rather than exploiting specific niches.

The embedded telco architecture allows quick adaptation to emerging user trends.

5. Accessibility

Much of the appeal of embedded telco products like travel eSIMs lies in their accessibility: the simplicity of the process, particularly when compared to physical SIM cards, is foundational to their success.

Brands seeking to supply eSIMs must also make their service accessible. One method is by considering a global audience. By partnering with an international connectivity provider like 1GLOBAL, brands can offer eSIMs with coverage in 190+ countries. Simple integration of MVNO services allows minimal changes to the app's UX. Through a proprietary API, 1GLOBAL partners can seamlessly incorporate branded eSIM services into their app and website. For customers, this provides a simple, familiar route to exploring new products.

1GLOBAL opens doors for brands to reach global customers while maintaining the local relevance and simplicity for the end-user.

Personalized connectivity: real-world examples

With over 65 million unique users, the digital bank Revolut is one of the world’s largest finance apps. In 2024, Revolut partnered with 1GLOBAL to launch its own in-app travel eSIM. When visiting a new country, customers could purchase travel eSIM plans in the Revolut app, paying directly from their bank account.

• This provides a heightened customer experience, as Revolut eSIMs combine the cost-saving advantages of a local eSIM with the convenience and trust of a known UX and service provider.

• Offering eSIM connectivity as an instant add-on instantly opens a new revenue stream – within weeks of launch, over 200,000 customers had purchased an eSIM plan.

• The Revolut eSIM is also utilized as an incentive for customers to upgrade to the premium-tier “Revolut Ultra” account.

The low-cost airline industry is notoriously crowded, with multiple providers competing for passengers on the same routes and similar price points. In this field, building customer relationships and finding cost-effective methods of improving the travel experience are key to success. The Kuwait-based airline Jazeera Airways collaborated with 1GLOBAL in 2024 to release Jazeera eSIM, allowing customers the option to purchase low-cost mobile data for their destination through the Jazeera app or website.

Both examples reflect consumer control, powered by 1GLOBAL’s MVNE capabilities. In each case, brands acknowledged heightened customer expectations to broaden their portfolio and introduce a more diverse range of products into single-industry platforms.

The MVNE future

The MVNE industry underpins this evolution of digital choice. As consumers continue to expect seamless, flexible connectivity, MVNEs like 1GLOBAL make those experiences come to life, securely, at scale, and globally.

While traditional mobile networks offer rigid, pre-defined plans, the MVNE/MVNO model makes it possible for brands to offer flexible data plans, on-demand access, and tailored service tiers — all within compliant, cost-efficient frameworks. In 2025, it’s increasingly viable for brands to incorporate new digital services into their platform. It’s this concept of personalized connectivity that’s driving the next phase of telecommunications.

1GLOBAL sits at the center of this shift, enabling companies to bring choice-driven connectivity to market quickly and reliably. Find out more by speaking to our team today.