The recent award of 25 MVNO licences in Nigeria opens up a unique opportunity for the entry of new and innovative services and new value mobile offerings.
The overwhelming response to the Communications Commission’s offer of new licences to operate as MVNOs has been more than positive and can be considered a success story that positions Nigeria as one of the main drivers of the African continent’s economy. In just a few months Nigeria will go from having four mobile operators – MTN, Globacom, Airtel and 9Mobile – to almost 30 new ones, a milestone that will revolutionise the country’s telco sector.
We spoke to Juan Carlos Buitrago, Chief Sales Officer of JSC Ingenium, to find out about the outlook for the sector, and he confirms that this strategy aims to boost competition in the mobile telephony sector and help bring mobile telecommunications services to rural, remote and underserved areas of the country. The continent’s most populous country has more than 226 million mobile lines, representing just over 100% mobile penetration. However, on the other side of the coin, barely 60% of the population has access to mobile internet and only 4% of the population has access to 4G. It is in this scenario, undoubtedly, where MVNOs make the most sense as drivers of the mobile market.
What role do MVNOs play in the country?
J.C.B: The new MVNOs are finalising their mobile business strategies as they decide on which mobile technology they will operate on, inevitably thinking ahead to find a solution that will allow them, on the one hand, to offer service on 4G and 5G, and at the same time, to cope with the disconnection of legacy networks.
MVNOs will help boost the country’s economy and bridge the digital divide by bringing mobile connectivity and services to all segments and all corners of the country, creating jobs – directly and indirectly – and democratising technology with new offers and competitive prices.
The figure of MVNOs thus becomes an asset for the country that is committed to boosting the mobile industry as one of the main drivers of the economy. These new players face the exciting challenge of meeting the strong demand for mobile connectivity in the country, which in less than a year has grown by 13.33%, to just over 26 million mobile lines.
What does the success of MVNOs depend on?
J.C.B: Their success will depend on having a differentiating mobile business strategy, with a flexible business model and state-of-the-art technology that allows them to stand out from the rest in terms of value and compete on equal terms with other players in the sector.
Technology is becoming a key element for these new MVNOs, which are no longer just looking for a turnkey solution -Core + BSS- to operate in 3G, 4G or 5G, but are also looking for a technology partner to help them make decisions on how to grow in the future and to accompany them throughout the process.
At JSC Ingenium, we are committed to being our clients’ strategic partners. Our deployed solutions, depending on the country, support 3G, 4G and now also 5G, whether standalone, non-standalone, or what is now also known as advanced 5G.
Why does JSC Ingenium play an important role in the award?
J.C.B: Our company strategy is differentiated by offering a single solution to support all technologies. We are talking about a solution that is interoperable backwards, so operators no longer need to have multiple platforms deployed for each of the access technologies, with the consequent cost savings that this entails. The other major advantage of our technology offering is that our solutions are agnostic to the physical infrastructure on which they operate, supporting any public cloud such as AWS or Azure.
Our experience in launching and operating MVNOs, with more than 100 virtual ones deployed and operational and more than 500 sub-brands internationally, positions us as a benchmark technology vendor for these new projects. In addition to this experience, we also have a strong commitment to R&D and a strategic focus on the customer, which we believe, without a doubt, is a formula for success.
About JSC Ingenium
JSC Ingenium is a global 4G/5G Core & BSS vendor for CSPs. Founded in 1996, the company is building the future of telco by delivering entire operation and management solutions to all kinds of Communications Service Providers (MNOs & MVNOs). Its offering includes a wide range of 3G, 4G and 5G Core Network technologies and Service Enablers, combined with business support systems (BSS) and tools for the supervision and operation of Mobile Operators.
JSC Ingenium makes a very high effort in R&D, allocating more than 45% of its technical resources. Currently, JSC Ingenium is firmly committed to 5G technologies, its philosophy -completely disruptive- and its ability to create a new concept of mobile networks.
Today JSC Ingenium has operational deployments in 20 countries worldwide, from Asia to Latin America, including major European countries, such as Spain, Italy, France and the UK, serving +100 operators worldwide.
More information: www.jscingenium.com/en/
