The MVNO Directory 2010, published April 2010, found 381 companies offering mobile services as either an MVNO or mobile service provider. From these 381 companies we identified some 433 active operations and/or resellers.
- 430+ MVNOs operated by 380 companies
- 110 active MVNOs new to the 2010 edition
- 870+ management contact
The MVNO Directory 2010 profiles both MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) and SPs (service providers). Included in the directory are profiles of 381 companies which in turn operate 433 active operations.
- Operation Name
- Geographic focus
- Telephone (mainly switchboard numbers)
- Fax
- URL
- Generic e-mail
- Postal address
- Launch date
- Parent company name / industry / URL
- MNO partner name / URL
- Management (named contacts and job titles for 289 operations - usually within the senior management team)
- Target customer type
- Type of service (pre-pay / post-pay)
- Messaging offered (SMS / MMS)
- Roaming status (international)
- Mobile Internet status
The directory does not include subscriber data, personal e-mail addresses or direct-line telephone numbers. All information is provided where possible. Data gathered for the 4th edition was sourced during March 2010.
What is an MVNO? There are many theories and statements from the mobile industry defining what makes up an MVNO. Technical terms such as minutes of use and spectrum allocation are used in defining true MVNOs. The most straight forward definition is an MVNO is any mobile operator which does not own a physical network. Even that definition has its exceptions but it is the most widely accepted and as such is used for The MVNO Directory.
The theory is, if a company sells a mobile phone service to an end user and manages the relationship with that user (including the processes of billing and marketing) then they are performing the function of the operator. However, they lack a physical existence as they use another operator?s base stations - so they are acting virtually. The operator which owns the base stations is therefore a mobile network operator (MNO) and the virtual company is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). Using this definition means that mobile service providers are incorporated into the MVNO space.
RESEARCH PROCESS
Each edition of The MVNO Directory, now in its 4th edition, builds upon the previous. The process begins by taking the existing list of operations and removing the information from the database which is likely to have changed since the previous edition, such as the contact information and the management teams.
MVNO news published since the previous edition is reviewed to ensure the list of operators is up to date (with any launches being added to the directory and withdrawals removed). One of the main sources for this research came from the paid for MVNO News service operated throughout 2009. Blycroft also researches and authors a directory of MNOs and publishes a weekly research services about AME, Africa & Middle East Telecom Week. These services help towards the MVNO Directory update process.
This process provides a significant list of companies for individual review via Internet research and direct contact. The research team for each edition has remained the same so buyers of past editions can expect to see the same high standard of accuracy in this new edition.
Our researchers are skilled in finding hard to find data. They spend a great deal of time making efforts to ensure that profiles are as complete as possible. Samples are available upon request to demonstrate this.
REASONS TO PURCHASE
Companies purchase The MVNO Directory mainly to enable the expansion of their business. The world of MNOs consists of nearly 800 operators with many of these operations owned and operated by a select club; namely Vodafone, France Telecom, Telefonica, Zain, etc. The MVNO market on the other hand is much more fragmented, which is to the benefit of many. Each operation typically operates in just one country or across a specific region, such as the Benelux countries or Germany and Austria.
Operations are normally targeted at a niche group within society and parent companies are often seeking to expand and develop upon established client bases from other sectors. This can easily mean that the management of these smaller operations are keener to hear of methods, practices and products which will assist them to do business better; more so than established MNOs with massive research and development departments made up of teams of in house developers and experts.
MNOs themselves also utilise the MVNO Directory to help guide their MVNO strategy and in some cases MNOs have entered markets as MVNOs rather than purchasing spectrum and building out additional networks. Within the solutions sector companies have used The MVNO Directory as the decision maker as to whether or not to target their products at MVNOs.
Other key reasons we have identified for purchasing The MVNO Directory are as follows:
- Valid list of operators
If you had the time you could compile a list of operations; you would certainly find Virgin Mobile, Tesco Mobile and many other big names with relative ease. This is the 4th edition of The MVNO Directory with research dating back to 2006. Google searches and Wikipedia alone will not provide the accuracy and access to data needed to be able to construct a comparable database in a cost effective time frame.
- Expertise
The same researchers for the 3 previous editions of The MVNO Directory have compiled this year?s edition. This consistency and experience helps to ensure that standards are maintained from each edition to the next.
- Time taken to research
The MVNO Directory 2010 takes advantage of ongoing in-house research services and initially called upon a year?s worth of these resources to update the list of companies to include. This list then had to be validated and cross referenced with external resources. Having compiled the list during February 2010 the research process then began, which took the months of February and March to complete.
Work for the directory is performed by experienced researchers. Their experience means they are quicker and more adept than most people at finding this information. Buying this data off the shelf takes away the management and training issues which you would come across with such a routine and repetitive task.
- 4 years of improvement
This is the 3rd edition of The MVNO Directory. Each edition sees an improvement in coverage as the researchers discover more of the hidden operators. The researchers are also able to fill in further data points each year which were not captured in previous editions.
- Supported by 'The MVNO News' service
Blycroft also published a weekly news service about the MVNO market place throughout 2009. This service kept track of the market all year round and ensured new launches, changes in the market and withdrawn services have all been noted in the new directory.
WHO BUYS THE MVNO DIRECTORY?
- OSS / BSS companies
- Mobile content developers
- MAPOS companies
- Mobile network operators
- Mobile virtual network enablers
- MVNO start-ups
- Financial and telecommunication analysts
FORMATS AND PRICING
Pricing and delivery formats are detailed below. Please note that we do not send files until we have received payment. Upon receiving payment we will e-mail the files directly to the named user(s). Pricing in USD and EURO are available upon request.
If you have any questions please contact us.
Single user, PDF - GBP 795.00
This license allows for the PDF to be used by 1 named person. It may not be shared with colleagues or redistributed or reassigned from the named user. The PDF may not be shared with contractors.
1-5 users, PDF - GBP 995.00
This license allows for the PDF to be used by 5 named people within the same department of a single organisation. It may not be shared with other departments within the organisation and it may not be transferred to persons other than the 5 named contacts. The PDF may not be shared with contractors, unless the contractor(s) are named users.
1-5 users PDF + Excel - GBP 1,495
This license allows for the Excel and PDF files to be used by 5 named people within the same department of a single organisation. The files may not be shared with other departments within the organisation and may not be transferred to persons other than the 5 named contacts. The license does not allow for the files to distribute via or upload to an Intranet. The files may not be shared with contractors, unless the contractor(s) are named users.
Up to 20 users PDF + Excel - GBP 1,995
This license allows for the Excel and PDF files to be used by 20 named people within the same department of a single organisation. The files may not be shared with other departments within the organisation and may not be transferred to persons other than the 20 named contacts. The license does not allow for the files to distribute via or upload to an Intranet. The files may not be shared with contractors, unless the contractor(s) are named users.
Corporate license PDF + Excel - GBP 3,000
This license allows for usage of the Excel and PDF files throughout the entire organisation.
Contractors may access the files for use when solely employed by the same organisation and it is the licensed organisation?s responsibility to ensure that contractors do not retain copies of the files once their work is complete with the organisation.
It is also the licensed organisation?s responsibility to ensure that the contractor does not use the files for their alternative client base and for projects unrelated to the licensed organisation. If the licensed organisation is unable to control this then they should not provide access to contractors. Breaches of these terms and damages to Blycroft Ltd as a result of allowing contractors access to these files will be made liable against the licensed organisation where reasonable efforts were not made to ensure adherence to these terms.
No license permits for the distribution of the files in whole or part outside of the licensed organisation. With the exception of providing the list to a recognised mailing house which will not retain a copy of the list. All intellectual property rights remain with Blycroft Ltd. Licenses are non-transferable and may not be sold or exchanged.
Blycroft Ltd reserves the right to uniquely digitally encode files so that the original licensee can be traced and to seed lists to protect its intellectual property rights. Any digital encoding will be done so as not to cause problems to the end user and are done solely as a measure to ensure adherence to the license terms and conditions.
