In the future, it’s entirely possible that you’ll never have to deal with anyone other than Apple to use your new iPhone.
This is great or not-so-great news, depending on your feelings toward Apple. We’ve heard talks of Apple launching its own phone service for a while, but a new report says that Apple’s already begun trialing said service in the US and is looking to expand that to Europe as well.
Business Insider quote sources close to Apple who say that the company is looking to get into the MVNO game. A MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator, is a company that runs a service built upon borrowed networks leased from established carriers.
Apple would likely use various big-name carriers to power its phone service, and would switch customers to whichever one provides the best service at any given location at any given time.
From Business Insider:
There is no guarantee Apple’s service will launch beyond a test phase, and if it does, it will not roll out anytime soon. Telecoms sources say Apple is looking long-term with its MVNO and could take at least five years to fully launch the service. Apple has been in talks with telecoms companies for years over its MVNO plans, those sources say, adding that it’s an “open secret” among carriers that a virtual Apple network is on the way.
Long story short, Apple wants to do this – but it’s a long way away if it ever materializes.
If this sort of setup sounds familiar, that’s because Google is already testing the waters. It launched Project Fi earlier this year – which sees Google operating as an MVNO and providing service to Nexus 6. Fi piggybacks on Sprint and T-Mobile’s networks to provide $20 per month unlimited talk and text, with $10 per GB data.