Network Operator or Wireless Service Provider – Pareteum

If you’re new to the world of mobile telecommunications operators it can be intimidating. For example, what’s the difference between a Full Mobile Virtual Network Operator (Full/Thick MVNO) and a Light Mobile Virtual Network Operator (Light/Thin MVNO)? How about a Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) and a Mobile Virtual Network Aggregator (MVNA)? And what exactly are Internet of Things (IoT) services? Or Machine 2 Machine (M2M) services?

If you find this all very confusing, don’t worry! Let’s go over the basics.

We will start with the name. Mobile Operators go by many names — wireless service providers, wireless carriers, mobile network carriers, mobile network operators, telecom operators, cellular operators, telecom providers, etc. Whatever you choose to call them, in principle Mobile Operators are licensed operators of radio spectrum and own and operate the infrastructure required to offer wireless communications services like Voice, Data, and SMS.

Mobile / Cellular Operators control the following elements of their business: