Mobile Virtual Network Operators — aka: MVNOs — the new belle of the ball. Launching them have gotten easier than ever, and as a result, more companies are jumping on the MNVO bandwagon.
Quick Reminder: If you're unfamiliar, MVNOs are wireless companies that don't own their own network infrastructure. Instead they lease access from major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile and resell mobile service under their own brand, oftentimes with lower prices or niche plans.
Legacy providers like Cricket Wireless, Virgin Mobile, and Boost Mobile have existed for quite some time, and in recent years, celebrity-backed MVNOs like Mint Mobile (Ryan Reynolds), SmartLess Mobile (Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett), and Trump Mobile, are having their moment. Most recently, in June, I reported that Klarna was launching an MVNO in the U.S., soon to be followed by the UK, Germany, and other countries. (Anything to boost that revenue pre-IPO.)
So who's next to launch an MVNO? The answer is…
- MrBeast is rumored to be launching a mobile phone service in 2026, according to a leaked investor deck from early 2025 viewed by Business Insider. The move could help round out his portfolio of brands which now include Feastables (a chocolate bar brand), Lunchly (a Lunchables competitor), and a toy line, among others.
- OnePay, the fintech majority owned by Walmart is following in Klarna's footsteps and launching its own branded wireless plan called OnePay Wireless, which will cost $35/month for unlimited 5G data, talk, and text on the AT&T network. The plan can be activated through the OnePay app and is launching in partnership with Gigs, a software platform that provides “MVNO-as-a-Service.”
- Not quite a full blown MVNO, but Amazon introduced a new eero product at IFA 2025 that can provide users with connectivity in their home in case of Internet outages. The new eero Signal connects to any USB-C powered eero device on a network that supports WiFi 6 and up, detects outages, and automatically connects users to a cellular network with its multi-carrier eSIM in the device. Once it detects your home Internet is back, it switches back to your WiFi.
Here's my dream MVNO — designed for Americans like myself who are rarely in their own country anymore, but need to keep an active plan for when they are home: $5/month for unlimited talk / text + 1GB of data. From there, pay-as-you-go data consumption at $3/GB. Right now I'm paying Mint Mobile $240/year (plus their bullshit hidden, unadvertised service fees) for 5GB/month — which I don't use for 10 months of the year. Then when I am back home, I blow through the 5GB and have to repeatedly pay $10 for 1GB or $20 for 3GB. I end up overspending throughout the year for data I don't use, and then overspending again when I'm home and actually need a reasonable amount of data. Whoever launches that MVNO first — I'm in. We'll call it the “Digital MVNOmad” plan.
