ARCEP is the French regulator for electronic communications, postal services, and press distribution, and it uses its MVNO/MVNE directory page to spell out what “virtual operators” mean in regulatory terms.
On this page, ARCEP describes MVNOs as operators without their own radio network that deliver mobile communications services to subscribers by buying wholesale communications from mobile network operators, while still taking responsibility for the commercial offering and end-customer service.
MVNOs: no radio network, but they design and deliver the service
ARCEP defines MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) as operators that do not have their own radio network. Those MVNOs provide mobile communications to their subscribers using services from one or more mobile network operators—Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange, and SFR.
Even without owning the radio access network, ARCEP says MVNOs are fully-fledged operators: they design and launch their commercial offers and are fully responsible for providing mobile communications services to their customers.
Wholesale inputs: voice, SMS, and data come via buying agreements
ARCEP also describes the commercial mechanics behind that model: MVNOs buy roaming for business voice, SMS, and data communications wholesale from mobile network operators and then use those inputs to serve their own subscriber base.
Brand licensing: marketing rights with operator accountability
For MVNO launches that lean on consumer brands, ARCEP covers “brand licensing agreements” between a network operator and a third-party company. Under these agreements, the network operator can market an offer or range of offers using the partner’s brand.
ARCEP adds that such arrangements can bundle partner-linked services, such as access to enriched content like music or banking services. It still states that the network operator remains responsible for the provision of mobile communications services to customers.
How ARCEP curates its MVNO and MVNE lists: direct hosting contracts only
Because ARCEP’s MVNO list changes with commercial strategy developments and agreements with network operators, the regulator publishes an indicative, non-exhaustive list of major MVNOs present in the retail market.
ARCEP restricts that list to MVNOs that have a direct hosting contract with one or more mobile network operators. It also states that MVNOs relying on MVNE partners are not listed on this page.
ARCEP defines MVNEs (Mobile Virtual Network Enablers) as companies that provide MVNOs with a set of services or equipment necessary for mobile operator activity, and it notes that MVNEs are often also aggregators (MVNAs). In that aggregator role, ARCEP describes an entity that buys wholesale services (voice, SMS, and data) from one or more mobile network operators and resells them to virtual operators without requiring those virtual operators to sign a contract directly with a network operator.
Selected MVNO and MVNE entries ARCEP publishes
ARCEP’s MVNO table includes, for example, Airmob (hosted by Bouygues Telecom, Orange, and SFR; enterprises), Akéo (hosted by Bouygues Telecom and Orange; individuals), and Coriolis Telecom (Altice) (hosted by SFR; individuals, enterprises, and MtoM). The same table also lists MVNOs such as Cubic (Orange; MtoM) and Transatel (Orange; enterprises and MtoM).
On the MVNE side, ARCEP lists MVNEs including Airmob Infra Full (hosted by Orange and SFR), Alphalink (Orange and SFR), and IP Directions (Orange). It also lists Legos (Orange) and Transatel (Orange).