MVNOs have advanced considerably worldwide. A report published by Informa Telecoms & Media in May 2012, states there are 732 Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) in operation. This is the equivalent to three times the number of Mobile Operators (MNO) – with only 224 MNOs. Thus there are 3.2 MVNOs worldwide for every MNO.

From a regional standpoint, the disparity is evident in terms of the development of the virtual operator market. Europe, for example, follows the global average with 3.2 MVNO  for each MNO, while in Asia countries there are 5.6 MVNO for each MNO.  Latin America appears with numbers below the world average as they have 13 MVNOs, which  means almost 2 MVNO for each MNO.

In Brazil, the MVNO market is still in an initial phase and there is only one company in operation. The development of virtual operators in Brazil has the potential to energize the mobile communication market, be it personal or mobile communications between machines (M2M). The experiments show that it is possible to have a win-win between MNO and MVNO. MNO can earn with reduced acquisition costs and customer churn.

For this reason, large retailers, which have strong brands and solid customer relationship, could constitute MVNOs, create additional value with innovative services. Other non-integrated telecom operators could via MVNO, expand their service offerings and capture more revenue from their customer base.

Finally, but not less important, with more competition in the market the consumer wins more offers, targeted services adhering to their profile and lower price perspectives with. However, despite the potential, the MVNO business in Brazil still didn’t take off as Latin America, indicating that barriers still exist that have not been addressed.

The main goal of the 4^th annual MVNOs INDUSTRY SUMMIT LATAM event is to bring together everyone involved in the MVNO chain, and to analyze and discuss the latest developments in Brazil and LATAM as a whole. The event provides a great platform for discussing new ideas and opportunities with the key decision makers in the Brazilian and LATAM markets.