As stated by Business Insider sources, Apple is now privately testing a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service in the US and that it’s also in talks to test a similar offering in Europe.
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According to a report published on Monday, Apple is in talks to provide talk, text and data to iPhone and iPad users through an MVNO that it would start up in the U.S. and Europe. So rather than paying a monthly bill to the likes of Sprint, Verizon and others, consumers would instead fork over money to Apple for an assortment of data, text, and call services. The telecom companies auction capacity to Apple so that it can run the service.
But while Apple’s MVNO service has apparently been an “open secret” among carriers, the sources also note that it might take up to 5 years before we see an MVNO service from Apple fully launch, if Apple launches the service at all.
What this means for end users is that Apple would effectively become a network carrier. That obviously didn’t come to pass, as Apple teamed up with AT&T to release the original iPhone, but a new report claims that Apple hasn’t given up on its desire for an iPhone network. TechCrunch reports that Apple filed a patent back in 2006 for an MVNO service. Pop in an Apple SIM and let Apple handle all of the backend including picking the best carrier for your situation. This is actually a big clue revealing Apple’s intentions to start an MVNO.
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Google is already testing its own MVNO. Project Fi is only available for the Nexus 6 smartphone in the US, but it is a signal that the tech company sees an MVNO as a potential area for expansion in the future. “He and I spent a lot of time talking about whether synthetically you could create a carrier using Wi-Fi spectrum”.
