Something interesting happened in Belgium last week. Wout van Aert — winner of Paris-Roubaix, one of the most recognisable names in professional cycling — launched his own mobile offer. Not as a brand ambassador. As an operator.

WvA Mobile runs on Telenet‘s network and offers two plans: a 20 GB formula at €13/month, with a 2 GB data bonus every time van Aert wins a race, and an unlimited plan at €35 that includes exclusive behind-the-scenes content and virtual cycling experiences on platforms like Zwift or Rouvy.

The pricing is competitive, but price is not the story. Van Aert himself made this clear in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad:

That sentence deserves attention. Because it captures something that is fundamentally changing the MVNO market — and the way brands think about mobile connectivity.

The SIM card as a loyalty instrument

For most of the past two decades, mobile subscriptions were sold like utilities. The differentiator was price, coverage, or data allowance. The relationship between operator and subscriber was essentially transactional.

What a new generation of community MVNOs is doing is different. They are using the mobile subscription not as the product, but as the access layer to something else — a shared identity, an experience, a community that subscribers want to be part of.

This is not a marginal phenomenon. Football clubs in Brazil have been running their own MVNOs since 2019, starting with Cruzeiro Celular, quickly followed by Fluminense, Gremio, Bahia, and Vasco da Gama. The logic there is direct: football fans already communicate intensely around the sport. An MVNO plugs into that existing behaviour rather than trying to create a new one.

In Italy, AC Milan launched Connect4 — plans named after iconic chapters in the club’s history, integrated into their broader digital fan ecosystem. In Spain, Real Betis Balompié launched its MVNO as early as 2017, in partnership with Más Móvil.

In the US, Ryan Reynolds’ minority stake in Mint Mobile turned into a $1.35 billion T-Mobile acquisition. The SmartLess podcast trio launched their own MVNO built around their audience. Roccstar Wireless built its offer around music artists and their fan communities. And beyond the celebrities, GSMA Intelligence counts around 2,138 MVNOs globally — a growing share of which are affinity or community-based.

The pattern is consistent across markets and verticals: the subscription is the membership. The connectivity is the commodity.

eSIM made this possible at scale

What has changed structurally is the cost and complexity of launching a mobile offer.

Cloud-native core networks, eSIM provisioning, and MVNE platforms have compressed what used to require 12–18 months and significant capital into a matter of weeks. The technical barrier to becoming an MVNO — or to white-labelling one — has largely disappeared.

This matters because it decouples the connectivity layer from the brand layer. A cycling brand, a podcast, a professional association, a regional retailer, or an ethnic community organisation can now put its name on a mobile offer without building or owning any network infrastructure. The eSIM removes the last physical friction: no SIM card to distribute, no retail presence required, instant provisioning from an app.

In this environment, mobile connectivity has effectively become a commoditised loyalty tool. The question is no longer can we launch a mobile offer? It is does our community have enough coherence and trust to make one meaningful?

The economics are more compelling than they look

Community MVNOs benefit from a structural advantage that traditional operators cannot easily replicate.

When the audience already exists and already trusts the brand, customer acquisition costs drop dramatically. Research suggests influencer or community-led MVNOs can achieve acquisition costs up to 70% lower than traditional carriers. That changes the unit economics significantly — lower ARPU models become sustainable when you are not spending heavily to acquire each subscriber.

Churn also behaves differently. A subscriber who chose WvA Mobile because they are a van Aert fan is not going to leave for a competitor offering €1/month less. The switching cost is not financial — it is relational. That is a fundamentally different retention dynamic than the one facing a generalist discount MVNO.

Lebara built an entire European business on exactly this principle — serving international communities with multilingual support and low-cost international calling. The community was the product; connectivity was the vehicle. Lebara grew revenue 5x between 2022 and 2024 through smart repositioning around this same logic.

What this means for MVNO strategy

At MVNO World Amsterdam 2026, the message from operators and experts was consistent: the MVNO market is not contracting — it is bifurcating. Generalist operators competing on price against mobile network operators are under serious pressure. Operators with a genuine niche — a community, a sector, a clearly identified user need — continue to grow.

WvA Mobile is the consumer-facing illustration of this. But the same logic applies across B2B and vertical markets. Enterprise-focused MVNOs, ethnic community operators, student-oriented brands, professional sector operators: the models that have proven durable all share one characteristic. They give subscribers a reason to stay that has nothing to do with the monthly price.

The early generation of MVNOs — discount brands entering markets with a cheaper version of what the incumbent already offered — demonstrated that price alone is not a sustainable differentiator. The community MVNO generation is demonstrating something more durable: shared identity creates stickiness that price can never buy

The practical implication

For any organisation considering a mobile offer — whether as a standalone MVNO, a white-label product, or a connectivity bundle — the strategic question is not technical. It is not about network selection, wholesale pricing, or regulatory compliance, even though all of those need to be solved correctly.

The real question is: does your audience have a reason to care about your name on their phone?

If yes — and if the content, experience, or benefit layer is genuinely good, as van Aert himself insists it must be — the mobile subscription stops being a cost line in a competitive market and becomes an asset in a loyalty programme.

That is a different business. And it requires thinking about mobile strategy differently from the start.

If you are exploring a mobile project in the Benelux, France, or the UK and want to discuss the approach, I am happy to connect. Book a call — askgreg.eu

The post When a SIM Card Becomes a Membership: The Rise of the Community MVNO appeared first on AskGreg.

What ANCOM and IBPT’s roaming alerts reveal about the real market for travel connectivity

This summer, two regulators — Romania’s ANCOM and Belgium’s BIPT — published near-identical warnings about roaming charges outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Read separately, they look like routine consumer-protection notices. Read together, they say something more interesting about where the travel connectivity market is actually heading.

The problem regulators keep rediscovering

ANCOM’s numbers are worth sitting with: up to €2.62 per minute for calls and €4.76 per megabyte outside the EEA, with some operators billing a full data package the moment a single megabyte is used — even if usage stops seconds later. IBPT flags the same pattern from the Belgian side, naming the UK, Andorra, and Turkey as destinations where “Roam Like at Home” simply doesn’t apply. Neither regulator is describing an edge case. They’re describing what happens to an ordinary traveler on an ordinary summer trip.

RLAH progress hasn’t closed the gap

Roam Like at Home has genuinely worked inside the EEA, and its extension to Ukraine and Moldova on 1 January 2026 is a real step forward for Eastern European corridors. But the exclusion list hasn’t shrunk where it matters most for volume: the UK, Switzerland, Turkey, Bosnia, Albania… These aren’t fringe destinations — they’re some of the highest-traffic outbound routes for European travelers, which means the regulatory blind spot and the travel market overlap almost perfectly.

Why this matters beyond the occasional traveler ?

Travel eSIM marketing has largely targeted frequent flyers and digital nomads — people who already think about connectivity before they board. But the regulatory pattern here describes a much wider exposure: residents of border regions, once-a-year holidaymakers heading to Turkey or the UK, business travellers who’ve never touched an eSIM setting in their life. That’s not a niche. That’s most of the outbound European travel market, and it’s currently underserved by anyone selling connectivity as an afterthought.

What this means for operators and eSIM providers

From a go-to-market angle, the opportunity isn’t just reaching people who already know they need an eSIM. It’s building trust with a much larger segment that doesn’t yet default to eSIM as the obvious fix for a well-documented, regulator-confirmed pricing gap. Operators and MVNOs that still treat travel eSIM as commodity data will miss this. The ones building around clear pricing and honest fair-use terms — rather than the “unlimited, terms apply” model much of the category still leans on — have real room to build category leadership, not just market share.

Lessons for the industry

• Regulatory warnings are a signal, not a substitute for marketing — but they validate the problem at a market-wide scale.
• The addressable market for travel eSIM is wider than “frequent travelers”: border residents, once-a-year holidaymakers, and business travelers who never touch their own APN settings all sit inside it.
• Transparent pricing and fair-use policy are becoming real differentiators, not footnotes — especially as comparison content around “hidden roaming fees” gains search traction.
• The UK, Switzerland, Turkey, Monaco and the Balkan region remain the highest-risk zone for bill shock and, not coincidentally, the highest-opportunity zone for eSIM adoption.

I’ve spent the last few years helping operators and MVNOs think through go-to-market and carrier relations across Benelux and France. This is exactly the kind of regulatory signal that should shape a roadmap, not just a blog post — it tells you where the addressable market actually sits, not where the category has historically marketed itself.

If you’re building or refining a travel eSIM offer and want a second opinion on positioning or market entry, happy to compare notes.

The post Two Regulators, One Warning: Why Travel eSIM Isn’t a Niche Product Anymore appeared first on AskGreg.

What alternative operators can do — and what the big ones rarely do

Across Europe, consumer protection obligations are multiplying. Tariff transparency, simplified cancellation, complaint handling deadlines, end-of-contract notifications — each new directive or national regulatory decision adds another line to the compliance checklist.

The typical reaction in most organisations: hand it to legal, implement the minimum required, move on.

That is a mistake. And for alternative operators, it is a missed opportunity — twice over.

What Regulators Mandated Without Realising It

Look at what the regulation actually requires.

In Belgium, the BIPT clarified in early 2026 the application of Articles 108, 109 and 110 of the Electronic Communications Code: operators must proactively recommend the most advantageous tariff to their customers, at least once a year, based on their actual consumption profile — including at contract renewals.

In other words: the regulator has made mandatory what a good retention programme should have been doing all along.

Analyse customer consumption. Identify the most suitable offer. Reach out at the right moment. Document the process.

That is exactly the sequence of a well-designed loyalty programme. Except most operators treat it as an administrative formality rather than a commercial touchpoint.

The Raw Material Everyone Is Sitting On

Here is where it gets interesting — and where I’ll be direct.

CDR data and billing records are, in my view, one of the most underexploited raw materials in telecoms. Operators generate this data continuously. It tells you exactly how a customer uses their service, when usage patterns shift, whether they are consistently over or under their plan, and when the conditions for churn — or upsell — are forming.

Most operators use this data for billing. Full stop.

The tariff transparency obligation essentially forces operators to do what they should have done with this data from day one: run a structured analysis, compare it against the available tariff portfolio, and act on the result.

The data is already there. The regulatory framework now requires you to use it. The only question is whether you use it minimally — to comply — or intelligently — to retain.

Every Obligation Is a Disguised Customer Moment

Tariff transparency is not the only example.

Simplified cancellation — a requirement in several European markets — is a moment of truth. Treat it as a form to fill in, and you lose the customer in silence. Treat it as a conversation opportunity, and you can recover a portion of churn with a relevant offer, at the right moment, without friction.

Complaint handling — imposed timelines, required traceability — is documented as one of the most powerful loyalty levers in the industry. A customer whose complaint is handled quickly and well is often more loyal than one who never had a problem at all.

End-of-contract communications — mandatory in many jurisdictions — are direct customer touchpoints, at the precise moment when the decision to stay or leave is being made. Few operators design them as anything other than a legal notification.

In every case, regulation has defined the moment. It has not defined what you do with it.

Why Large Operators Don’t Capitalise

The reason is structural. In large groups, compliance and customer retention operate in separate silos. Legal handles the obligations. Commercial handles retention. The two rarely connect.

The result: obligations are met, but the opportunity is left on the table.

Alternative operators — MVNOs, challenger fixed operators, VoIP providers — have a structural agility that incumbents do not. Fewer silos. Shorter decision cycles. And crucially, the ability to build a process end-to-end, without organisational legacy to work around.

But there is something else. A smaller operator can go further: by automating these regulatory touchpoints intelligently, they can establish a more direct, more personalised relationship with each customer than any large operator realistically can. Not a mass communication. A relevant, data-driven conversation — triggered by actual usage, at the right moment, through the right channel.

That is differentiation that does not require a bigger budget. It requires a smarter operating model.

What This Means in Practice

Turning a regulatory obligation into a retention lever is not a marketing project. It is an operational one.

It requires consolidated, actionable consumption data — starting with your CDRs. A structured and documented tariff comparison logic. Customer communication workflows triggered at the right moments. And a traceability layer that is audit-ready, but designed well enough to be commercially useful at the same time.

None of this is trivial. But operators who get it right earn two benefits for the price of one: compliance, and a retention programme their competitors have not built.

The Bottom Line

Consumer protection obligations are not a constraint to absorb. They are customer touchpoints that regulation has made mandatory — and that most operators still manage as paperwork.

For alternative operators, the window is clear: design these moments as retention processes, not compliance checkboxes. Use your billing data as the raw material it actually is. And build the kind of direct, personalised customer relationship that larger operators — by design — cannot easily replicate.

Customer retention is hidden in your regulatory obligations. You just have to decide to find it.

If you are working on structuring your consumer obligations — and want to turn them into an operational advantage rather than a compliance cost — I am available to discuss.

Sources & references

• BIPT/IBPT — Clarification of Articles 108, 109 and 110 of the Electronic Communications Code (January 2026)
• BEREC — Consumer empowerment and pricing transparency guidelines
• European Electronic Communications Code (Directive 2018/1972)

The post Customer Retention Is Hidden in Your Regulatory Obligations appeared first on AskGreg.

MVNO’s World Amsterdam brought together operators, experts and industry stakeholders for three days of presentations, testimonials and informal discussions. Beyond the formal sessions, it is often in the side conversations — between panels, over lunch or at the end of the day — that the most honest perspectives emerge.

One theme came through consistently across all of these exchanges: the MVNO market is not declining. It is evolving, and the distinction matters.

The operators that are struggling tend to share a common profile. They entered the market with a generalist approach, competing primarily on price against established mobile network operators. That model is under pressure, and most people in Amsterdam acknowledged it openly.

What the expert presentations and operator testimonials also confirmed, however, is that a different category of MVNO continues to grow. These are operators that started from a specific place — a well-defined niche, a particular community or sector, or a clearly identified end-user need that existing operators were not addressing adequately.

The business logic is straightforward. When an MVNO is built around a genuine user need or a specific segment, the value proposition becomes defensible. Price is no longer the primary differentiator.

Operators like Tchamba Telecom in Belgium illustrate the point — regional focus, clear community, sustainable proposition.

This is not a new idea. But hearing it reinforced through concrete examples — from operators who have navigated market entry, partner negotiations and regulatory requirements — gives it practical weight.

For anyone considering an MVNO project in Europe, the strategic question is therefore less about whether the market has room, and more about whether the proposition is grounded in a real and specific need.

That is precisely the kind of question I work through with clients — from initial market assessment and operator agreement structuring through to regulatory positioning in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, the UK and beyond.

If you are exploring an MVNO project and would like to discuss the approach, I am happy to connect.

Book a call — askgreg.eu

#MVNOsWorld #MVNO #Telecom #MobileStrategy #AskGreg #Tchamba

The post MVNO’s World Amsterdam 2026: There Is Still a Future for MVNOs appeared first on AskGreg.

The Benelux region is a paradox in Europe’s mobile landscape. On paper, it has everything MVNOs need: high purchasing power, digitally mature consumers, and strong demand for data-driven services. Yet, compared to other European markets, the MVNO footprint remains limited. The easy explanation—”the market is too small”—doesn’t hold up. Benelux is not too small; it is too mature. Distribution is efficient, bundles are entrenched, and competition is driven by execution as much as by price. In this context, an MVNO that looks like every other MVNO has little chance of lasting. But those that solve a specific problem—with controlled distribution and operator-grade execution—can still carve out a defensible position.

Why Benelux “Produces” Fewer MVNOs ?

Convergence and wholesale economics set the rules. Benelux markets have long been shaped by converged offers (fixed internet + mobile + TV). Customers don’t just buy a mobile plan, they buy a broader relationship with an operator (service, device journeys, a single bill, and cross-product benefits). In Belgium, for example, the MVNO market grew by just 1% in 2025 largely due to intense competition from the 3 established MNOs and the rise of DIGI as a new network operator. While DIGI’s entry initially stimulated competition and wholesale access, its transition to a full MNO means its current positive effect on the MVNO ecosystem may fade as it builds its own infrastructure. This underscores a critical point: MVNOs must secure long-term wholesale agreements and avoid over-reliance on any single host network.

Wholesale economics also don’t forgive generic low-cost plays. Profitability depends on securing sustainable wholesale terms, controlling acquisition costs, and industrializing onboarding, support, and billing. Add fraud prevention, SIM cards journeys, and device support, and the bar becomes operator-grade. Distribution is another underestimated bottleneck. In efficient markets, the question isn’t “Can we launch?” but “Can we distribute at a reasonable cost?” Without a structurally advantaged channel, MVNOs often become dependent on paid marketing, weakening their LTV/CAC equation.

Where MVNO Opportunities Are Still Credible ?

1) Affinity or community MVNOs can still succeed—but only with strict economic discipline : The community must cut customer acquisition costs (CAC). The offer must also meet a real need while keeping support and operations efficient. In Belgium, Undo—a new, low-cost, digital-first MVNO—proves that even in a stagnant market, niche positioning(pricing, community focus, or simplicity) can attract underserved customers. Its success depends on controlling costs and avoiding too much paid marketing

2) Cross-border and multilingual segments: Benelux is structurally cross-border, with high mobility for work, studies, and business. A focused MVNO can win by simplifying eSIM activation, offering multilingual support and designing journeys for commuters and internationally active SMEs. In Luxembourg, for example, a MVNO targeting cross-border workers with seamless multi-country coverage could fill a gap.

3) B2B/SME “operations-first” propositions: Many SMEs value clean billing, simple administration portals, multi-site management, and responsive support more than the cheapest plan. Retention and lifetime value can be significantly higher if operations are strong.

The Executive Framework = Niche + Distribution + Execution

The opportunity isn’t to be “one more operator.” It’s to become a service proposition using mobile connectivity as a component.

If there’s one lesson to remember from Benelux, it’s this: You don’t win with a tariff plan; you win with a niche, a channel, and execution. The Dutch market’s 2025 growth driven by Lebara and 50+Mobiel proves that even in a mature, converged environment, opportunities exist for MVNOs that solve a specific problem. In Belgium, Undo’s launch demonstrates that innovation in distribution or pricing can create space for new players, even in a market that grew by just 1% in 2025.

The future belongs to MVNOs that solve a real problem not just sell minutes and data. In Benelux, the question isn’t whether the market is too small; it’s whether your proposition is smart enough.

If you’d like to exchange views on these trends and what they could mean for your business, feel free to contact Askgreg

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