By Gary McCready, Commercial & Strategy Director at iD Mobile
I’m looking forward to joining the Operator panel, “The Wind of Change: MNO-MVNO Partnerships,” at MVNO Nation Europe in Alicante this November. Ahead of that conversation, I was asked to share a few thoughts on where I think some of the biggest opportunities and challenges lie for our industry (outside of AI), as we head into 2027.
See Gary live: He joins the Operator panel — The “Wind of Change” for MNO–MVNO partnerships – on Wednesday 4 November, 12:05–12:45 at MVNO Nation Europe in Alicante. Reserve your delegate pass →
The Opportunity: Proving the Model Still Works
MVNOs have spent the best part of two decades proving that network ownership isn’t a prerequisite for building a compelling mobile proposition. What’s changed is the scale of ambition. The strongest MVNOs today aren’t just competing on price; they’re winning through distribution, brand trust, and genuinely differentiated customer experience.
At iD Mobile, our relationship with the Currys retail ecosystem is central to that. Customers don’t just want a SIM, they want mobile to sit naturally alongside the technology they’re already buying and the service relationships they already trust. That’s an opportunity that pure-play operators can’t easily replicate, and I expect to see more MVNOs across Europe leaning into similar ecosystem plays in 2027, whether that’s retail, banking, or other adjacent sectors.
The other major opportunity is data and personalisation. MVNOs that can use customer insight responsibly, and within an increasingly demanding regulatory framework, to build smarter propositions (fair use models, tailored value-added services, targeted retention) will pull ahead of those still running one-size-fits-all tariffs.
Ecosystem plays and retention will dominate the operator conversations in Alicante. Browse the full agenda →
The Challenge: The Network Relationship
The health of the MNO-MVNO partnership continues to be crucial and underpins the fundamentals. One question is; As MVNOs scale, will network partners view MVNOs as a wholesale customer or a competitor? That healthy tension will no doubt help shape commercial negotiations in ways that didn’t exist in the same way a decade ago.
Getting this relationship right is critical to determine whether an MVNO can plan with confidence. I’d expect this to be a live theme across our panel discussion in November, and I suspect most operators in the room will recognise the dynamic.
The Challenge: Regulatory Complexity
Alongside network dynamics, the regulatory bar keeps rising. Whether it’s data protection and Consumer Duty-style obligations in the UK, evolving fair use and network management rules, or broader consumer protection scrutiny across European markets, MVNOs are increasingly expected to operate with the same compliance rigour as much larger, vertically integrated operators, often without the same scale to absorb that cost. Getting governance right isn’t optional anymore; it’s a genuine competitive differentiator for those who do it well.
Where I Think This Leaves Us in 2027
The MVNOs that thrive will be the ones that treat the network relationship as a strategic partnership, that use their ecosystem or brand positioning as a genuine source of differentiation, and that build compliance and data governance into their operating model from the outset rather than bolting it on.
I’m genuinely looking forward to comparing notes with peers from across the industry on how different markets and operators are tackling these same questions, and to hearing what’s on the horizon from suppliers and MNOs alike.
If you’re heading to MVNO Nation Europe, come and say hello, I’ll be speaking on the Operator panel on Wednesday 4th November and would welcome the conversation.
See you in Alicante.
Continue the conversation at MVNO Nation Europe 2026
Join Gary McCready and 500+ MVNO leaders, MNOs, enablers and suppliers in Alicante, 3–5 November 2026, at the industry’s most interactive gathering — where partnerships get built, not pitched.
Gary McCready will be attending MVNO Nation Europe 2026 and joins the Operator panel: The “Wind of Change” for MNO–MVNO partnerships on Wednesday, 4 November, 12:05–12:45.
