MVNO Nation’s Industry Icon award is part of a new category of leadership awards that’s been introduced to honour exceptional individuals making a lasting impact on the industry.

From actively shaping the future of the industry through innovation, leadership and disruption, to those who show a long-term contribution to the global MVNO ecosystem. The winner will be decided by a jury of industry leaders and analysts, and announced at the MVNO Nation conference, held in Alicante on 4th November. 

James Gray, managing director at Graystone Strategy, is delighted to have been nominated “Being shortlisted for the inaugural MVNO Nation leadership awards is hugely humbling and I am delighted to be recognised in this way. I’m very much looking forward to being at the conference and celebrating everything I love about the industry.” 

The following month, Telecom.com’s Global Telecoms Awards, or ‘Glotels’, will celebrate international innovation and achievement in the telecoms sector. Graystone Strategy has been shortlisted to win the Telecoms Excellence Award, which celebrates an overarching, standout achievement that pushes the boundaries of capabilities, operational efficiency, or service delivery across the global telecommunications sector. 

Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges comprising Telecoms.com editors, industry analysts and telco leaders, and announced in London on 1st December. 

James says the nomination is a gratifying acknowledgement of the team’s expertise and commitment to deliver excellence every day, “The Graystone consultants are experts in their field, working with all types of organisation, at all phases in their growth. From start-ups to household brands, we’re working side by side with leaders, helping them make the right decisions at the right time for continued success.”

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The discussion covered differentiation, executive commitment, route-to-market choices and the support brands may need when entering the UK mobile market through an MVNO model.

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For telcos, the value is bigger than an app.

Spacetalk creates daily branded engagement, turns one subscriber relationship into a household relationship, and gives operators new ways to understand, retain and grow family customers.

That means richer household insight, more relevant next-best-actions, lower-cost acquisition opportunities, and new revenue paths across mobile plans, broadband, devices, smartwatch connectivity and premium app subscriptions.

Spacetalk’s MOU with TPG Telecom is progressing to contract for deployment of the platform to Vodafone Australia’s 2.8 million post-paid customers — an important signal that family safety can move from consumer feature to operator growth engine.

The UK timing is strong. The Online Safety Act is in force, the under-16s social media debate is intensifying, and parents are looking for practical tools that help them protect their children without simply removing the benefits of mobile technology.

If you lead consumer, digital, CVM, marketing or commercial at a UK MNO or MVNO, and the family segment is on your agenda, drop me a line.

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Revenue is vanity, margin is sanity.It’s an old adage, but one that holds true for the MVNO Market.

When we speak to MVNOs, they can often think the garden looks rosy. They are growing customer numbers, share and the total revenue metrics are good. But look a little closer and it soon becomes apparent that margins are under acute pressure. Just about every established MVNO I talk to are trying to overcome the squeeze and it’s moving higher up the priority list.

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The numbers speak volumes too, as Prescient Strategic Insight’s latest research shows. It predicts that the MVNO market will jump from $92 billion valuation today to $155billion in the next three years. The numbers represent the pace of the market, the innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit behind MVNO success.

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We’re starting to see satellite take off in countries around the work where regulators are granting permission.

Top of mind is the UK, where, following Ofcom approval O2 Satellite is first out the blocks with its Starling backed services, and Vodafone has inked a deal with AST Space Mobile. In the US, Skylo, Verizon’s direct-to-device (D2D) partner, is the latest name to be seeking FCC approval for services to support IoT, smartphones and wearables.

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VNOs WorldHere’s a stat to make you sit up and think: Prescient Strategic Insight’s latest research indicated that the MVNO market will reach a staggering $155 billion valuation, up from roughly $92 billion valuation today.

The post From idea to MVNO: A practical launchpad for new entrants appeared first on Graystone Strategy.

James Gray, Graystone Strategy’s managing director, will also resume his role as chair of the conference, welcoming MVNOs and organisations working in the MVNO ecosystem to the conference. 

James will make the opening ‘state of the nation’ address bringing together the most pressing issues for the industry, host the conference on behalf of Informa, and manage panel debates on a variety of topics from introducing AI and digital marketing technology, optimising revenue and margins, through latest developments in network infrastructure and eSIM, to insights from successful MVNOs from around the world. 

Building on the success of last year, and as part of the partnership, on the first day of the conference, Graystone Strategy will deliver several new masterclasses on launching and growing MVNOs. Over the last 2 years, over 200 people from across the MVNO community, including new and mature MVNOs, wholesale teams, regulators, and vendors serving the MVNx segment, attended the Graystone masterclasses, rating them 4.9/5 for content and delivery. 

“MVNOs World is the place for the MVNO community to meet and exchange ideas. I’m therefore honoured to be asked to chair the event again. The industry is buzzing at the moment with product and service innovation, new market entrants and global expansion, and it’s reflected in the incredible line up of speakers.” 

James adds: “I’m also pleased to be launching a brand-new series of masterclasses at the conference. Masterclasses are an ideal way to get insights and industry specific knowledge from experienced experts who have launched and run MVNOs and worked for operator wholesale teams. If you’re new to the industry, the MVNO community or need to increase knowledge in a specific area of expertise, these are must-attend sessions.”

“Each one is free to attend and tailored to ensure people leave with a blueprint for success for the current MVNO environment. This is why they are consistently rated so highly,” he continues. “As they have become so popular, this year we’ve moved the Masterclasses on to the main stage so more people can attend them.”

This year there will be three new masterclasses for attendees to choose from. 

From idea to MVNO: A practical launchpad for new entrants, exploring the five stages to MVNO launch, critical success factors, building a business case and traps to avoid.  

The Art of the Wholesale Deal – Negotiate, renegotiate, grow: A deep dive into the commercial structures needed for a successful wholesale relationship, including a checklist covering everything from how to choose the right host network to the clauses that give will either promote freedom to grow or constrain success.

Margin Under Pressure – How Mature MVNOs Stay Profitable and Keep Growing: This masterclass looks at the ways mature MVNOs can unlock hidden value and how to do it successfully including the merit of brand licencing for global expansion through investing in product innovation to adopting new channels to market. 

Sara Hamdi, conference producer at Informa, says James’ leadership in the industry positions him perfectly as chair: “We’ve worked with James for five years, and every time his credentials as a leader in the MVNO market shine through. He brings credibility, expertise and experience to the role and is able to tease out the golden insights that attendees are need to drive their business success.”

Sara continues: “The masterclasses all happen on 1st June and will be popular. Tickets will be allocated on a first come first served basis. It’s highly recommended people book their place now to avoid disappointment.”

Tickets to MVNOs World are available now at https://tmt.knect365.com/mvnos-world/ 

Ticket holders can sign up from the free Masterclasses when they have their ticket.

About Graystone Strategy
Founded by James Gray in 2014, Graystone Strategy advises telecoms companies on strategic growth and profitability. Graystone Strategy’s team of specialists have provided consultancy and training to some of the world’s leading telecoms brands, broadband providers, mobile network operators and virtual operators, as well as numerous technology companies providing services to the telco sector. Graystone Strategy uses its expertise to advise on business strategy, proposition development, go to market, segmentation, and customer trends. 

About James Gray – James has over 30 years of experience working in the telecoms, MVNO and retail industries. He is an expert in subscription based business models. He has held a number of Marketing Director & Consumer Director roles with mobile networks including Vodafone, CPW and ID mobile, launched brands such as Mobile by Sainsbury’s and Asda Mobile, and now advises boards and start-ups in the telco sector on business and marketing strategy. 

Press contacts
Samantha Crowe, director, Make it Be
sam@makeitbe.co.uk / 07855 943 019

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US President Donald Trump, fintech app Revolut, and English football club Millwall do not appear to have much in common, but the trio are among those to have made the leap into the telecoms industry by setting up their own mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs.

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