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Ep 124 – The innovation inertia of MVNOs (Allan Rasmussen)
This week’s guest
Allan Rasmussen
Chief Executive Officer MVNO ServicesMVNOs are having their moment. From Ryan Reynolds with Mint Mobile to the Trumps launching Trump Mobile, everyone wants in.
But the truth is it’s tough to be an MVNO. MVNOs who pay millions in licensing fees struggle to actually go live because incumbent MNOs work overtime to squash them. Take Nigeria – regulators handed out 46 MVNx licenses and collected serious cash from hopeful startups. The result? Zero MVNOs have successfully launched to date.
In this episode, I’m talking with Allan Rasmussen, CEO of MVNO Services and one of the world’s leading MVNO strategists. He has witnessed hundreds of MVNO dreams crash and burn while also guiding success stories that cracked the code. We dive deep into the regulatory challenges facing MVNOs worldwide and Allan’s strategies for navigating the chaos.
Listen now to hear:
- How the Nigerian MVNO market has been stalled by regulator-MNO power struggles [03:31];
- How MTN’s pivot to “network as a service” might be a strategic game-changer [10:31];
- Why MVNOs should form alliances when battling regulatory roadblocks [12:55]; and
- How countries like Canada, India, Pakistan, and Thailand are creating barriers to MVNO competition [13:54].
Links and resources
- Allan does a great job keeping the MVNO community up to date on all the happenings in the MVNx space. Follow him on LinkedIn.
- Read TM Forum’s article, “What’s fuelling the rise of new MVNOs?,” to learn how new MVNOs are surging due to eSIMs, MVNE platforms, and cloud-native technology like Totogi’s multi-tenant charging system that enables faster MVNO deployments.
- Check out my blog, “MVNOs don’t need MVNEs (and MVNEs’ loss will be MNOs’ gain),” to find out how African MVNOs can bypass MVNE middlemen by leveraging cloud-native SaaS solutions and direct MNO wholesale platforms.
- Read about the Nigerian Communications Commission’s MVNO framework and licensing in “Is Nigeria Ripe for MVNOs —Or Are We Just Licensing Hope?” from TechAfrica News.
- Wanna get the scoop around the world on how challenging it is to launch an MVNO? Learn about Canada’s redefinition of MVNO requirements, listen to the MVNO Knowledge Hub podcast episode, “Thailand’s MVNO Collapse – The Regulatory Inaction that Killed an Industry,” to learn about Thailand, and catch up on Pakistan by reading “New PTA Policy Will Let New Telcos Launch Services in Pakistan Without a Physical Network”.
- Learn about Totogi’s Wholesale Solution for MNOs looking to monetize MVNO partnerships. Want to try it out? Book a demo!
- OF COURSE the telcos don’t collude to box out the MVNOs. But it did remind me of that time the Dukes tried to corner the frozen concentrate orange juice market in the movie Trading Places. Watch how they lose their fortune over a $1 bet between Louis Winthorpe III (Aykroyd) and Billy Ray (Murphy).
- Find out more about Totogi by meeting with us at the NOVACOM Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, on September 23-25. DM me on LinkedIn or X @TelcoDR to set up a time to meet.
- Check out this episode on our YouTube channel.
- You can find the episode transcript here.
Wanna talk AI and public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.
Guest bio
Allan Rasmussen is an MVNA/MVNE/MVNO specialist with hands-on experience from more than 60 projects in both competitive and greenfield markets. His expertise includes business case development, execution, launch, and growth strategies. He is an advisor and consultant to MNOs, MVNAs, MVNEs, MVNOs, national regulatory authorities, government agencies, TMT industry associations, and innovation and investment banks. Allan is a well-known voice in the global MVNO space as a walking MVNO wiki, and is recognized for his expertise in spotting emerging trends and curating crucial industry news. He brings a unique blend of strategic foresight and practical experience to his work, all while championing his core values of fostering MVNO growth and sharing knowledge.
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Podcast credits
- Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR
- Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
- Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
- Audio Editor: Andrew Condell
- Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery
- Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio
- Music: Dyami Wilson
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why haven’t any of Nigeria’s 46 licensed MVNOs launched yet?
Despite the Nigerian Communications Commission issuing 46 MVNX licenses and creating a regulatory framework, incumbent MNOs (MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9Mobile) are blocking MVNO launches by citing capacity issues while simultaneously advertising for more direct subscribers. This creates a classic regulatory standoff where the framework looks good on paper, but commercial negotiations fail in practice. The NCC risks losing credibility and faces financial pressure due to naira devaluation, making refunds nearly impossible and forcing them to eventually compel MNO cooperation through fines or spectrum licensing restrictions.
2. What should Nigerian MVNOs do while waiting for regulatory resolution?
Allan Rasmussen advises MVNOs to double down on their business plans, refine their market niches beyond just pricing competition, and form alliances or associations to amplify their collective voice. MVNOs should attend industry events, engage the press, and maintain pressure on both the NCC and MNOs. This approach mirrors successful MVNO strategies globally, where the first movers pushed forward despite regulatory uncertainty instead of waiting for perfect conditions.
3. Which other countries are facing similar MVNO regulatory challenges?
Canada struggles after its regulator CRTC changed its MVNO definition to require network infrastructure, contradicting the “virtual” concept. India has frameworks that look promising on paper but don’t function in practice. Pakistan previously charged $5 million for MVNO licenses and still has contradictory requirements in its new framework. Thailand represents the worst case, where the regulator auctioned the only spectrum MVNOs were using, forcing all MVNOs to cease operations and creating a duopoly. Learn more about Thailand’s MVNO collapse and Pakistan’s new framework.
4. How can MNOs actually profit from MVNOs instead of blocking them?
Rather than fighting MVNOs, MNOs should become platforms that power MVNO innovation. Solutions like Totogi’s Wholesale Solution enable MNOs to sell their entire tech stack—BSS, AI-powered personalization, and multi-tenant architecture—to MVNOs. This transforms MVNOs from competitive threats to locked-in customers who purchase both network access and software, while providing MNOs with valuable subscriber insights across multiple brands. MVNOs create new markets rather than steal existing customers, ultimately driving overall usage and revenue growth.
5. What does Danielle Rios mean by “innovation inertia” in the telecom industry?
DR uses “innovation inertia” to describe how MNOs resist change despite claiming to want competition. Nigerian MNOs exemplify this by advertising for more subscribers while claiming they lack capacity for MVNOs—exposing that the real issue isn’t network limitations but protecting oligopoly pricing. This inertia causes MNOs to miss the opportunity that Nigeria’s 46 licensed MVNOs represent: 46 different experiments in customer acquisition, pricing models, and service delivery that could provide valuable market research and drive industry innovation.
6. How is MTN Nigeria potentially changing its MVNO strategy?
MTN recently announced significant infrastructure investments and a pivot toward “network as a service,” indicating readiness to onboard both MVNOs and other MNOs onto its network—similar to its South African strategy. Allan Rasmussen suggests MTN may have strategically appeared disinterested while secretly building this capability, since operators typically need one to two years to execute new strategies. This platform approach could position MTN to monetize MVNO partnerships more effectively than traditional wholesale agreements, making it a first mover in Nigeria’s MVNO market.