Apple today denied a recent report that the company is in the process of testing out its own Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services, a sign it could be laying the groundwork to offer its own wireless services for its devices. Apple has officially issued a statement on the story from Business Insider, saying it’s not planning or discussing an MVNO cellular service:
“We have not discussed nor do we have any plans to launch an MVNO,” said an Apple spokeswoman in a statement on Tuesday.
An MVNO is a wireless service provider that doesn’t own its own network for the service, but instead piggybacks on another carrier’s network. MVNO Ting and Google’s Project Fi operate on Sprint and T-Mobile’s networks, for example. Many MVNO services try to offer features and service plans that differentiate them from the big carriers— Ting offers on the fly, usage-based billing, for instance — but they often have to play by the rules of whatever carrier’s network they use.
Despite many clues that Apple has been experimenting with an MVNO service — Steve Jobs was reportedly interested in the idea, while Apple has patents covering aspects of an MVNO-like service — for now the company is denying reports that it’s interested in making such a move. It has, however, been working to roll out its new Apple SIM card that allows users to switch between carriers (apart from AT&T locking after activation), and reportedly talking to carriers regarding a universal standard for SIM cards.
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What the heck – it was just a rumor anyway.
A rumor that caused a little superfluous stock fluctuation. When Apple makes the odd comment like this on rumor, its to prevent stupid rumors from affecting trading.
You’re right as I didn’t think of that.
Katie really has left the building
Maybe they’ll just use a shell company to negotiate.
2003: “There are no plans to make a tablet, We look at the tablet, and we think it is going to fail.”
2004: Apple filed a patent for a touch tablet device
Yeah and we didn’t see the tablet until 6 years later.
We will not make smaller iPad enter the mini, we will not make larger phones enter iPhone 5. They are other examples of things Apple said they would not make or markets they would not enter and have.
In general Apple does not enter markets in which they don’t think they can improve on or offer something new. Building a MVNO net does not seem like one of thos things.