Published by Gigs | March 2026

Your fintech app has crossed a million downloads. Engagement is strong. But here is the hard truth: a great app alone does not build a moat. The fintechs winning the next decade are not just offering better rates or smoother UX. They are becoming essential. They are the app users open every single day.

Many fintechs are exploring mobile connectivity as a new high-impact lever to get there. With all of today's technology, getting a phone plan should be as easy as ordering an Uber — but it is not. Extremely high barriers to entry have kept innovation out of telecom for too long. That is changing fast, and the fintechs moving now will be the ones who define the next era of consumer financial services.

If you are evaluating how to add a branded wireless service to your product, the first question you need to answer is this: who is your MVNE?

This guide breaks down what an MVNE is, what the best ones offer, and why the right partner makes all the difference, especially for a fintech or neobank that has never operated in telecom before.

What Is an MVNE? (And Why Does It Matter for Fintechs?)

The definition

A Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) is a company that provides the infrastructure, software, and operational support that lets another brand launch and run mobile services under their own name, without building a carrier from scratch.

MVNEs sit between Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) like AT&T and Verizon, and the companies called Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) that sell connectivity to end customers. The MVNE provides the technical foundation: network access, billing systems, SIM provisioning, compliance infrastructure, and often customer support tooling.

Who uses an MVNE?

Any company that wants to offer wireless services without becoming a licensed carrier typically uses an MVNE. That includes consumer brands, retailers, gig economy platforms, device makers, and increasingly: fintechs and neobanks.

Leading digital banks like Klarna, Nubank, and Revolut have already launched mobile services to their user bases. In 2026, the thesis is clear: mobile is a daily-use product. When your users pay their phone bill through your app, you stop being a financial tool and start being infrastructure. That is a fundamentally different relationship.

Klarna's own research shows that half of Americans believe switching phone plans is too difficult. That friction is an opening. Fintechs already have their users' trust, payment methods, and financial identity. They are perfectly placed to offer a better mobile experience, and consumers are ready to follow.

The benefits of using an MVNE

The primary benefit of using an MVNE is speed and capital efficiency. Launching mobile services the traditional way involves direct MNO agreements, building your own BSS/OSS stack, managing telecom compliance, and staffing a telecoms operations team. That path takes years and tens of millions of dollars. MVNEs compress that timeline dramatically.

The core benefits:

• Speed to market. A modern MVNE can get you live in weeks, not years.

• Lower capital requirements. You do not own spectrum or infrastructure. You focus on your product and your users.

• Compliance coverage. Telecom is a heavily regulated industry. A good MVNE handles licensing, taxes, and regulatory obligations.

• Operational support. Billing, SIM provisioning, number porting, and customer support infrastructure come built in.

• Brand ownership. Your name, your pricing, your experience on someone else's network backbone.

For a fintech with a million users and a strong product team, an MVNE removes the telecom complexity and lets you focus on what you do best: building user experiences that drive engagement and revenue.

What makes a good MVNE for fintechs?

A good MVNE for fintechs looks very different from one built for traditional telecom companies. Not all MVNEs are built the same. Traditional MVNEs were designed for telecom companies launching telecom products. Fintechs have different needs:

• API-first architecture. You need to integrate mobile into your existing product without a six-month professional services engagement.

• Embedded billing. Your users should not leave your app to manage their phone plan.

• Compliance as a service. You should not need a telecom legal team.

• Speed. You want to move in sprints, not telecom cycles.

• A partner mindset. Not a vendor who hands you a manual and disappears.

With those criteria in mind, here are the five best MVNE solutions available to fintechs and neobanks in the US in 2026.

The Top 5 MVNE Solutions for Fintechs in the US

1. Gigs — Best Overall for Fintechs and Neobanks

About the company

Gigs is the operating system for mobile services. Founded in 2020 by Hermann Frank and Dennis Bauer, Gigs has raised over $100M from Ribbit Capital, Google, Y Combinator, and the CEOs of Uber, DoorDash, and Instacart. The company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Amsterdam, Berlin, and London.

In September 2025, Gigs announced a landmark partnership with AT&T, the largest network in North America, to power a new era of embedded connectivity for tech companies and their users. Fintech leaders including Klarna, OnePay, Nubank, Revolut, and Sezzle have already launched branded mobile services on Gigs' platform.

Key differentiators

Gigs is not a traditional MVNE. It is a software platform that abstracts telecom complexity into APIs, workflows, and products — the first company to do for connectivity what Stripe did for payments or AWS did for hosting. Where a legacy MVNE assumes its customers are telecom experts launching telecom brands and leaves product design, pricing, compliance, and customer experience entirely to them, Gigs handles all of that. Where legacy MVNEs are region-specific and hard to scale globally, Gigs is global by design. And where legacy MVNEs rely on manual operations, Gigs scales like a software platform.

The result is that Gigs is usable by software companies, not just those wanting to launch a standalone telecom brand. A fintech can bundle phone plans with a credit card. A neobank can offer branded wireless alongside a checking account. Both can go live in weeks.

The platform includes:

• Gigs API — A single developer-friendly telecom API for carrier integrations, subscription management, number porting, eSIM provisioning, and more. One integration covers multiple carriers and markets.

• Gigs Connect — A no-code, hosted checkout and subscription management flow. Launch a branded mobile offer in days with no engineering lift.

• Gigs Dashboard — A real-time operations cockpit covering subscriptions, SIMs, payments, usage analytics, and support operations across all markets.

• Gigs Payments — PCI-compliant, multi-currency billing with AutoPay, fraud detection via machine learning, and automatic retry logic that recovers around 70% of failed payments.

• Carrier of Record — Gigs is the regulated entity for your wireless service. You are not on the hook for telecom licensing, taxes, or compliance. Gigs handles all of it.

• Telecom tax engine — Fully automated calculation, collection, and remittance of federal and local telecom taxes.

The fintech value proposition

Gigs partners earn approximately $480 in annual recurring revenue (ARR) per active user. For a fintech with one million users converting even 5% to a phone plan, that is meaningful recurring revenue alongside a service that drives daily engagement. The brand also appears directly on users' devices (e.g., "YourBank Wireless"), keeping you top-of-screen and top-of-mind between banking sessions.

An MVP can be live in six to eight weeks. A robust implementation typically takes twelve.

Best suited for: Fintechs, neobanks, and consumer tech companies that want to launch branded mobile services fast, own the full user experience, and offload telecom complexity entirely.

Pros:

• Vertically integrated: one partner replaces ten vendors

• Carrier of Record status means you skip telecom compliance entirely

• AT&T's premium 5G network with plans at roughly half the cost of traditional carriers

• New features released weekly

• API-first and no-code options for any engineering capacity

• Proven fintech partners: Klarna, Nubank, Revolut, OnePay, Sezzle, Majority

Cons:

• Focused on consumer and embedded connectivity (not IoT or M2M)

2. Plintron — Best for Traditional Global Scale

About the company

Plintron operates mobile network services in over 31 countries and has launched more than 175 MVNOs worldwide, enabling over 170 million mobile subscribers. Supported by a global team of more than 1,000 telecom professionals, the company has received multiple industry awards, including MVNO Awards at the MVNOs World Congress from 2022 through 2025. Plintron is headquartered in Singapore with offices in London, Dubai, New Delhi, São Paulo, and Seattle.

Key differentiators

Plintron operates as both an MVNE and MVNA (Mobile Virtual Network Aggregator), giving it carrier relationships across six continents. Its MVNx Marketplace offers over 350 curated services including billing platforms, eSIM and digital onboarding, analytics, compliance tools, and fintech integrations.

A note on the aggregator model

Plintron's aggregator position is a double-edged sword. Working through an aggregator adds a layer between you and the underlying carrier. That layering creates real risk. Each link in the chain introduces its own data privacy and security standards, and vulnerabilities in the aggregator's systems or their partners' systems can result in data loss or service disruptions for your business and your users. For fintechs that handle sensitive financial data and have high trust standards with their user base, this is a material consideration.

More critically: Plintron was built for telecoms companies and operates with telecoms-company assumptions. If you are a product team that expects API-first design, modern developer documentation, and sprint-speed iteration, Plintron will feel like a different era. Integration complexity is high, time-to-market is longer, and you will likely need internal telecom expertise to operate the platform effectively. The platform does not abstract telecom complexity; it requires you to navigate it.

Best suited for: Traditional wireless operators and large enterprises that need global MVNO coverage and have dedicated telecom operations teams to manage the relationship.

Pros:

• Massive global footprint across 31+ countries

• Award-winning platform with a long track record

• Broad service marketplace for add-ons

• Supports all MVNO models, from full MVNO to branded reseller

Cons:

• MVNA/aggregator model introduces third-party data privacy and security risk

• Built for telecoms companies, not tech product teams

• Not API-first; integration is complex and time-consuming

• Long time-to-market compared to modern platforms

• Requires dedicated telecom operations expertise to run

• Multiple vendor relationships still likely required

3. Telispire — Best for Legacy Wireless Operators

About the company

Telispire, founded in 2000 and acquired by NRTC in 2006, delivers its state-of-the-art Phoenix back office and billing system, leveraging the power and reach of trusted national wireless carriers. Based in Wichita Falls, Texas, Telispire has over two decades of experience enabling MVNOs across the US market.

Key differentiators

Telispire's PHOENIX back office is its core product: a full-service wireless billing and subscriber management system with web-based activation, customizable user hierarchies, and device-level usage alerting. The company claims 99.97% uptime due to redundant facility locations and cloud infrastructure.

Best suited for: Traditional wireless operators, regional telcos, and companies with dedicated telecom operations teams who need a proven, stable back office. In 2026, it is a legacy fit for a legacy use case.

Pros:

• 25+ years of US market experience

• Proven billing and provisioning infrastructure

• Both prepaid and postpaid support

• Established carrier relationships

Cons:

• Legacy platform architecture built for the pre-API era

• Pooled pricing model (less flexible than metered pricing for growing consumer services)

• Not designed for embedded consumer products or fintech use cases

• Requires existing telecom expertise to operate effectively

• No native Carrier of Record coverage; partners still bear the compliance burden

4. OXIO — Best for Small-Scale TaaS Exploration

About the company

OXIO is a Telecom-as-a-Service (TaaS) provider that has positioned itself as a cloud-native alternative to traditional MVNE infrastructure. The company focuses on giving brands programmable access to connectivity without relying on MNOs for core network control.

Key differentiators

OXIO's platform is built for digital-first companies that want first-party telecom data to power marketing and engagement strategies. Their model centers on a cloud-native core network and API-accessible services, and the company has actively published content around the convergence of fintech and telecom.

A note on maturity and scale

OXIO is an emerging platform with a limited track record compared to more established players in this space. While the cloud-native approach is the right direction, the platform has not yet been tested at the scale that enterprise fintechs and larger neobanks require. For a fintech with millions of users, an unproven platform introduces execution risk that is hard to justify. OXIO's current sweet spot is smaller companies exploring TaaS models, not established consumer platforms that need enterprise-grade reliability, compliance coverage, and a partner with deep experience at scale.

Best suited for: Smaller tech companies and early-stage MVNOs that want to experiment with programmatic connectivity without committing to a full enterprise platform.

Pros:

• Cloud-native and API-accessible

• TaaS model with first-party data access

• Fintech-aware positioning

• Flexible connectivity model

Cons:

• Emerging platform with limited enterprise-scale references

• Not the right fit for large neobanks or high-volume consumer fintechs

• Less comprehensive out-of-the-box compliance and tax coverage

• Not a Carrier of Record; compliance responsibilities remain with the partner

• Geographic reach more limited than established players

5. Lifecycle Software (Nexus) — Best for MVNO Startups

About the company

Lifecycle Software offers Nexus, a platform it describes as the launchpad for digital MVNOs. The company provides network integrations alongside a suite of built-in applications and automated workflows designed for neo-telcos and MVNOs to go to market quickly. Their stated claim is an MVNO launch in under three months.

Key differentiators

Nexus offers a cloud multi-tenant architecture with ready-to-use front ends, self-service capabilities, and pre-integrated workflows. It is designed to lower the barrier for new MVNO entrants who want a structured path to launch without building from scratch.

Best suited for: MVNO startups and smaller brands launching their first wireless service with limited internal telecom expertise.

Pros:

• Purpose-built for fast MVNO launch

• Self-service capabilities reduce operational overhead

• Cloud multi-tenant for cost efficiency

• Structured onboarding path

Cons:

• Limited fintech-specific integrations and track record

• Not built for embedded connectivity within an existing consumer app

• Compliance, tax, and billing may require additional vendor relationships

• Less relevant for fintechs that need white-label in-app experiences

Gigs Is More Than an MVNE. Here Is Why That Matters.

Traditional MVNEs solve a narrowly defined problem: they give you access to carrier networks and a back office so you can resell wireless. They assume their customers are telecom experts launching telecom brands. Product design, pricing, compliance, and customer experience are the MVNO's problem. The MVNE just provides the pipes.

That was the right answer for telecom companies building telecom products. It is not the right answer for a fintech trying to embed mobile into a product that already has a million users.

Gigs was built for a different question entirely: not "how do I become a carrier?" but "how do I add mobile to my product — fast, cleanly, and in a way that actually drives engagement and revenue?"

That framing changes everything about the solution.

You work with one partner, not ten vendors.

A typical MVNE relationship means you still need to negotiate your own carrier agreement, license a tax engine separately, build or buy a billing layer, manage compliance internally, and source customer support. With Gigs, all of that is part of the platform. Carrier of Record status. Automated tax collection and remittance. PCI-compliant billing with fraud detection. An AI-powered Tier 1 support layer. A no-code checkout flow. All of it, from one system.

You own the full user experience.

Gigs does not put its brand between you and your users. Your users see your name on their devices, your checkout flow in your app, and your plans in your dashboard. Gigs operates invisibly in the background, the same way Stripe operates in checkout flows. You get the relationship. You keep the margin.

You go live in weeks, not 12 to 18 months.

Where traditional MVNE engagements typically take 12 to 18 months to reach market, Gigs is designed to move at software speed. The Gigs API is built for product teams that move in sprints. Integration is clean, with clear developer documentation and a no-code option through Gigs Connect for teams that want to launch without engineering resources. An MVP can be live in six to eight weeks.

You get a real commercial upside.

This is not just a retention play, though mobile genuinely does drive retention. A user who pays their phone bill through your app opens your app every month. It is also a revenue line. Partners earn around $480 in ARR per active user. For a fintech scaling toward ten million users, that math gets very interesting.

You are backed by AT&T, and your users will feel the difference.

Gigs' partnership with AT&T, the largest network in North America, is not just a credibility signal — it is a product advantage. Your users get premium 5G coverage that stays fast, with no throttling, alongside a plan that rivals any premium offering on the market today: unlimited data, talk, and text, hotspot, streaming, and generous international roaming. This is not resold wholesale from a middleman. It is a direct carrier relationship, and it means Gigs' fintech partners can offer plans at roughly half the cost of traditional carriers without compromising on a single feature. In 2026, that is a genuinely differentiated product, not just a commodity mobile plan.

The embedded fintech advantage

Fintechs sit in a uniquely powerful position for mobile distribution. You already have your users' financial identity, payment method, and trust. That means near-zero additional customer acquisition cost for wireless. You cross-sell to an existing base. Every active phone plan subscriber becomes a daily user of your product, generating engagement data that your financial services can act on. You establish primacy as the provider of two essential services: money and connectivity.

As Gigs puts it: mobile creates multi-service bundles that build genuine switching friction. Banking and telecom converging in a single app is not a product feature. It is a platform.

And Gigs is not a vendor in this equation. It is a strategic commercial partner, bringing multiple carriers under one platform, handling every layer from pricing and billing to compliance and logistics, and co-designing services alongside partners who are building at real scale.

How to Get Started with an MVNE Partner: 3 Actionable Tips

1. Define your implementation path before you start conversations.

Before approaching any MVNE partner, define your implementation path. Every MVNE will ask about your engineering capacity and your timeline. Know the answer before you walk in. If you have a small product team and need to move fast, look for a platform with a no-code embedded checkout option. If you have engineering bandwidth and want full control of the user journey, prioritize API-first platforms. Gigs offers both: Gigs Connect for immediate launch, and the Gigs API for fully custom integrations.

2. Insist on Carrier of Record coverage.

When evaluating MVNE partners, insisting on Carrier of Record coverage is one of the most important steps a fintech can take. Telecom compliance is genuinely complex. Federal and state licensing, telecom tax calculation and remittance, regulatory monitoring: these are not problems you want to own. Before signing with any MVNE, confirm whether they act as Carrier of Record. If they do not, you inherit the compliance burden. Gigs handles this fully. As Carrier of Record, Gigs is the regulated entity for your wireless service, and you stay out of the regulatory weeds entirely.

3. Model the economics before you commit.

Before committing to an MVNE partner, model what mobile revenue could mean for your specific business. Do the math on what mobile could mean for your business. How many of your active users might activate a phone plan? What gross profit per user are you targeting? What is the impact on monthly engagement if phone bill payments flow through your app? These numbers will shape which MVNE is the right fit, and they will also sharpen your internal business case. Gigs partners can expect approximately $480 in ARR per active subscriber, with an MVP launchable in six to eight weeks.

MVNE Comparison Table: At a Glance

The Bottom Line

The MVNE market has options. Some are built for global telecoms operators. Some for legacy US wireless brands. Others for companies just starting out. Each has a use case. But none of them were built for what a fintech actually needs in 2026: a vertically integrated platform that embeds seamlessly into your product, removes all telecom complexity, acts as your Carrier of Record, and turns mobile into a genuine revenue line, fast.

That is what Gigs built. And it is why fintech leaders like Klarna, Nubank, Revolut, OnePay, and Sezzle chose Gigs to power their mobile products.

If you are a fintech or neobank with scale and ambition, mobile is the next move. Gigs is the platform to make it happen.

Learn more at gigs.com or talk to the team to explore what a mobile launch could look like for your product.

Sources and references: Gigs.com; Gigs and AT&T partnership announcement (September 2025); Klarna mobile launch press release (June 2025); Plintron MVNx Marketplace announcement (December 2025); Telispire.com; Polaris Market Research, Mobile Virtual Network Operator Market Outlook (2024–2034).