Mobile network operator: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:51, 4 December 2004

Revision as of 22:08, 5 December 2004

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A '''mobile phone operator''' (also '''wireless carrier''') is a [[telephone company]] that provides service for [[mobileGSM services|phone services]]s. for The term is less ambiguous than ''[[mobile phone company'', which may also refer to mobile hardware manufacturers like [[Nokia]] subscribers.

The process of becoming a mobile phone operator within a country usually begins by acquiring a [[radio spectrum]] licence from the Government. The precise spectrum obtained does depend on the type of [[mobile phone]] technology the operator intends to deploy. For example, a [[GSM]] phone will require a [[GSM frequency ranges|GSM frequency]].

As for [[2004]], there are more mobile phones than [[fixed telephony|fixed landline]] phones in the world, and mobile phone operators are increasingly supplanting traditional telephone companies.

The Government may allocate spectrum using whichever method it chooses, although the most common methods are a beauty contest, or an auction. Recent allocation of [[3G]] licences in [[Europe]] have been sold by auction to the highest bidder.

Another category of mobile phone operator is emerging in some markets called the [[MVNO|Mobile Virtual Network Operator]] or MVNO. As far as the subscriber is concerned, they seem identical to regular mobile phone operators. The critical difference is that they do not own the underlying network, but lease it instead from another incumbent operator in that country.

==See also==