How Digital Brands Can Scale Mobile Plans Across Multiple Markets

Fintechs, retailers and digital platforms are increasingly adding travel eSIMs and domestic mobile plans to their ecosystems.

A white-label mobile service is just the beginning

From Lidl to Revolut, mobile services are popping up on websites and apps from brands that have never previously been associated with telecommunications. This is due to the current generation of Mobile Virtual Network Enablers (MVNEs), telecoms experts that connect these brands with mobile operators, allowing them to launch their own mobile services without investing in telecoms infrastructure or possessing in-house expertise.

In most cases, the non-telco brands handle the customer-facing side of the equation (branding, support, marketing, etc.) while the MVNEs operate the technical aspect of the service, negotiate roaming access with network providers, and oversee legal and compliance issues. With the public adoption of eSIM rising, it's never been easier for a digital brand to enter the telecommunications market.

Scaling these services into new countries, however, is a different matter.

For brands with international customer bases, single-country plans aren’t enough. Here, we explore how they can scale a service like telecommunications across borders and launch a mobile service internationally.

Becoming a global MVNO platform

Let’s transport ourselves into the boardroom of a hypothetical retail brand.

They're chiefly a brick-and-mortar chain, with stores across multiple countries, though they also operate a customer loyalty app. Last year, they took a leap of faith and teamed up with an MVNE to integrate mobile services into the app, despite having no prior experience in the telecommunications industry.

Starting small, they began by offering domestic mobile plans to customers in a single market, and gauging interest from there.

It worked – within weeks, thousands of users had purchased mobile data plans via their app and were engaging far more with the brand’s digital platform, storing and spending loyalty points.

Buoyed by the success of the launch and determined to capitalize on their newfound status as telecom service providers, the CEO has now decided to roll out the mobile service to other markets – and fast.

He wants to strike similar deals with mobile providers in every market of operation, providing the same standard of cellular service to all customers, regardless of their location.

The boardroom reaction isn’t overwhelmingly enthusiastic – the CFO is already calculating how many additional accountants this will require, while the legal officer is visibly paling at the prospect of maintaining compliance across several new jurisdictions.

The CPO, meanwhile, is gazing out of the window and wondering whether she should have stayed in culinary school instead.

There is a simpler way. MVNEs like 1GLOBAL prove that simple, scalable mobile services are possible. Advances in eSIM technology and standards now mean that non-telco brands can launch mobile services and expand them across borders without administrative hurdles or technical bottlenecks. Here's how.

Traditional telco models don't scale well

Under a legacy model, launching a telecoms service in a new country can mean new MNO negotiations, regulatory compliance, market research, and technical implementation. A model that works for a single market can swiftly become an impasse for companies with international ambitions.

On the customer end, performance can also vary across regions when their provider maintains single-operator relationships in each market.

This has a dual impact on the user: their network performance can be inconsistent, depending on where they are in the world; and being connected to just one mobile network per country leaves them with no connectivity in the event of a local signal outage. Neither situation is ideal, especially for emerging industries like embedded telco that rely on strong first impressions and exemplary customer experiences.

The Internet of Things (IoT) industry provides a compelling example. The eSIM was initially developed for IoT, allowing admins to remotely distribute and manage the connectivity of their smart devices at scale, without having to manually insert a SIM card every time.

While the eSIM made it easier than ever to activate and manage far-flung IoT devices from a remote location, it also presented them with a new challenge: how could companies retain oversight of their connected devices when expanding into new countries, with mobile networks operated by different carriers? In industries like international logistics, these devices would need to remain connected while continually crossing international borders and switching between local mobile network providers.

The answer is an international connectivity partner that manages its own core network of multiple local carriers across the globe: the IoT company is free to scale across as many countries as it likes, while operating through one single connectivity agreement.

A single control layer for every market

For embedded telco brands, the same principle applies. Common wisdom may dictate that the best deals can be found by direct partnerships with local providers in every new market. In practice, the result is often a fragmented network of individual connectivity contracts and roaming agreements with a growing number of partners, creating vast administrative and legal complications.

This is particularly true of non-telco brands that lack the personnel to tackle this in-house, requiring further outsourcing and a growing mountain of contracts and sub-contracts - soon, any potential benefits of international expansion are swallowed by the technical, legal, and administrative load.

The answer to scaling telecoms services doesn’t lie in fragmented connectivity contracts, but in a single partnership with an international service provider.

Simplifying white-label mobile services with the 1GLOBAL Connect API

The alternative is a common technology layer that can support multiple markets. Customers receive the same product, wherever they are, while IT and legal departments continue to work with a single provider, regardless of how many markets they operate in. The most effective way to achieve this is through a telecom API (a software bridge that connects the network provider or MVNE’s technical capabilities with the customer-facing brand’s digital platform, app, and UX).

The 1GLOBAL Connect API allows any digital brand access to 1GLOBAL’s worldwide core network and powers their ability to integrate complex telecoms services into their existing UI.

With the Connect API, partners integrate once with 1GLOBAL's telco infrastructure, then use that foundation to build different propositions as they expand – adapting plans, pricing, branding and customer journeys to each local market.

• One common API layer: 1GLOBAL Connect API provides deep integration with 1GLOBAL’s full-stack capabilities. This means building on existing integrations rather than starting with an entirely new technical integration for every new telco product or market.

• One distributed global core: Instead of isolated country stacks, 1GLOBAL operates a globally distributed core, connecting its MVNO entities across multiple locations. This provides a common technical foundation across markets and reduces the latency of customers' mobile connections.

• Multi-IMSI + OTA steering: 1GLOBAL’s patented multi-IMSI technology enables IMSIs and network configurations to be managed over the air, supporting dynamic network selection and allowing customers to automatically switch their local carrier (for example, in the event of a signal outage).

• A reusable eSIM and provisioning layer: eSIM provisioning and lifecycle management are part of the platform. There's no need to construct a new provisioning architecture for each new product launch or market.

1GLOBAL embedded telco in action: Revolut

Revolut is one of the world’s largest digital banks, valued at over $6 billion. Since launching just over a decade ago, Revolut has expanded its services from a simple banking app to a fully-fledged financial and tech services provider, summed up by its current slogan “banking and beyond”.

Revolut first partnered with 1GLOBAL in 2024 to launch its first telecommunications service in the form of a travel eSIM – app users could now buy short-term data packages to get online abroad, without roaming fees or purchasing a local SIM card.

After successfully integrating such a seemingly disparate service into its app, Revolut turned its attention to domestic mobile plans. Domestic plans offer a long-term, daily-used service that boosts customer retention and further positions Revolut as an all-round lifestyle companion, rather than a banking app with benefits. The first service with 1GLOBAL launched in the Netherlands, with thousands of downloads in the first week.

With 1GLOBAL as a partner, Revolut could soon turn its attention to new markets: the 1GLOBAL network ensured a single contract and management portal for all Revolut eSIMs, regardless of how many markets they entered. Expansion swiftly followed: Revolut & 1GLOBAL domestic mobile services are currently available in the Netherlands, Poland, and Germany, with more already planned. The speed and success of this rollout is built on 1GLOBAL’s worldwide and simple cross-border connectivity.

Why are international white-label eSIM services so in-demand?

Embedded telco is poised to go global. The industry is closely tied to eSIM adoption, which is on the cusp of near-total geographic expansion in the coming years, with eSIMs set to overtake SIM cards as the world’s most-used SIM format by 2030.

This same arrangement supports expansion and works around a company's ambitions: thanks to the 1GLOBAL core network, strategic decisions can be swiftly made, without first needing to negotiate roaming access or research local compliance and data protection legislation.

The same single-pane-of-glass approach delivers collated insights from a company’s total connectivity services worldwide, providing the unprecedented level of analytics required to make informed strategic decisions about international expansion, rather than launching piecemeal “hit and hope” services in new markets, one at a time.

Global outlook, local customer experience

While this level of international service makes things incalculably easier for the digital brand, how does it affect customers? As with any new product, delivering a flawless first impression is the aim.

Not only are brands faced with the initial difficulty of negotiating and maintaining a roaming contract with a local provider, but they must also then ensure it delivers similar speeds and coverage to any existing contracts in other countries to prevent inconsistent product quality across regions.

At the same time, they need to protect their customers from unreliable local networks or risk of signal loss. As this is typically achieved by negotiating access contracts with multiple providers in every country of operations, the initial time and financial investment required to enter these markets can be discouraging.

International partners like 1GLOBAL have already done this work – the 1GLOBAL Connect API unlocks access to over 600+ carrier partnerships in 200+ destinations, through one contract. With a minimum of three available networks in every country, 1GLOBAL users can remain constantly connected to a high-quality mobile signal, even in the event of local carrier outages or congestion.

Travel and Domestic Connectivity Can Grow Together

Let’s return briefly to the boardroom scenario: one particularly insightful manager has raised the option of using a single international connectivity partner (and can doubtless expect a promotion and enormous bonus as a result). The CEO is leaning forward, intrigued, while the others breathe sighs of relief. The CPO silently closes a tab containing her CV. The legal officer edges his chair back from the window.

Once it’s established that an API-based solution from such a partner is the way forward, the company is faced with another choice: what kind of mobile service do they actually want to offer their customers?

Different user bases can have wildly different demand when it comes to connectivity, and expectations evolve, particularly in the fast-moving world of consumer electronics and mobiles.

Some embedded telco services offer short-term travel eSIMs, designed for one-off purchases. Others provide full-fledged domestic roaming plans, replacing traditional mobile operators in their customers’ eyes. Some, like Revolut, offer both.

A multi-market strategy can incorporate both travel eSIM and domestic mobile plans. Some 1GLOBAL partners have begun with travel data plans, before introducing domestic voice, SMS and data in priority markets as their customer base develops. The digital bank N26 initially partnered with 1GLOBAL to integrate travel eSIMs into its app. Within a year, N26 had extended its services to include domestic roaming plans in Germany, with plans to expand into more countries.

One integration becomes the foundation for an evolving mobile portfolio, rather than a single product launch.

Turning mobile plans into a global growth strategy with 1GLOBAL

Since 2018, 1GLOBAL has distributed over 45 million eSIM profiles through its own brand and multiple white-label partnerships. This is built on a unique market position as both an eSIM provider and operator of our own global core network: we understand implicitly the connectivity needs of our partners, and own the technical infrastructure required to serve them.

With one API, full-stack telecom capabilities, network relationships and experience launching branded mobile propositions across multiple markets, 1GLOBAL enables partners to move faster while retaining control over their proposition and customer experience. These relationships, proprietary APIs, and full-stack services allow our partners to plan and deliver a scalable, multi-market mobile service, rather than building it up piece by piece.

Find out more about 1GLOBAL embedded telco solutions, or partner with 1GLOBAL by contacting our team today.