Published by Gigs | March 2026

Klarna just launched mobile to 25 million Americans. Revolut is rolling out phone plans across the UK. Nubank, OnePay, and Sezzle are already live. The trend is clear: in 2026, the most ambitious fintechs and neobanks are adding mobile to their product stack, and the window to be early is closing fast.

If you're evaluating how to make that move, two names tend to come up: Gigs and 1Global. Both operate in the embedded connectivity space. Both can technically help a fintech launch a mobile product. But they were built from very different starting points, for very different buyers, and the choice between them has real consequences for how fast you ship, how much control you keep, and how much revenue you actually generate.

This comparison is written for fintech and neobank product leaders who need a clear-eyed answer, not a vendor pitch.

TL;DR: Three Things to Know Before You Read On

1. If you're launching across multiple markets, coverage breadth is the first filter. Domestic mobile plan availability varies significantly between platforms. Gigs supports local talk, text, and data in 50+ countries from a single integration. 1Global's domestic MVNO capability currently covers 10 countries. For any fintech with a global or multi-market user base, this gap is the most concrete differentiator between the two platforms.

2. Consumer readiness matters more than infrastructure depth. Not all embedded connectivity platforms are built for consumer-grade mobile products. The features your users expect — number porting, unlimited data, top-ups, voicemail, call forwarding, eSIM activation — require a connectivity OS optimized for consumer mobile, not one adapted from IoT or enterprise compliance origins. Gigs is deeply optimized for consumer mobile. 1Global spans multiple verticals, but consumer mobile is not its strongest.

3. Implementation time and effort will determine your time to revenue. Embedded telco integrations range from days to many months depending on the connectivity OS and approach. Gigs partners reach a live MVP in six to eight weeks; teams using Gigs Connect can launch a branded eSIM or mobile experience in days with no engineering lift. The faster you ship, the sooner mobile becomes a revenue line.

Side-by-Side Comparison

When evaluating any embedded connectivity partner, these are the categories that matter most for a fintech or neobank. Here is how Gigs and 1Global compare across each.

What Is Embedded Connectivity?

Embedded connectivity is when a non-carrier company — a fintech, neobank, or consumer tech brand — offers branded phone plans or eSIM services directly inside its own product, without building or owning wireless infrastructure. The company partners with an embedded connectivity platform like Gigs, which handles carrier access, regulatory compliance, billing, and support behind the scenes. The end user sees only the partner's brand.

Three terms are worth understanding clearly:

Mobile Network Operator (MNO) — a company that owns physical wireless infrastructure: spectrum, towers, and core network. AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are MNOs. They provide the underlying connectivity that all mobile services ultimately run on.

Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) — a company that sells mobile services to end users without owning the underlying network. MVNOs purchase wholesale access from MNOs and resell it under their own brand. Fintechs launching phone plans operate as MVNOs, or more precisely, partner with an MVNE that manages the MVNO layer on their behalf.

Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) — the infrastructure and software layer that enables a brand to launch and operate an MVNO without building carrier systems from scratch. An MVNE provides network access, billing, compliance, SIM and eSIM provisioning, and support tooling. Gigs is an MVNE purpose-built for consumer mobile across fintech, travel, devices, HR platforms, and more.

The embedded connectivity model mirrors what happened in payments a decade ago, when Stripe made it possible for any software company to accept money without becoming a bank. Embedded connectivity does the same for mobile: any company with an existing user base can now offer phone plans as a native product feature, not a redirect to a third-party carrier.

For fintechs, embedded connectivity converts an existing trust relationship into a new recurring revenue line. Users already share their financial identity and payment method with their neobank. Adding a phone plan to that relationship requires no new acquisition, no new trust-building, and no new app. It is mobile distribution at near-zero cost.

Platform Overviews

What is Gigs, and why do leading fintechs choose it?

Gigs is the operating system for mobile services. Founded in 2020 and backed by Ribbit Capital, Google Ventures, Y Combinator, and the CEOs of Uber, DoorDash, and Instacart, Gigs has raised over $100 million to build the infrastructure layer that lets any company launch mobile services without becoming a carrier.

The clearest way to understand Gigs: it does for connectivity what Stripe did for payments. You do not need to understand acquiring banks, interchange fees, or card networks to use Stripe. You call an API and accept money. Gigs works the same way for telecom. You call an API and your users get phone plans — branded, consumer-grade, and live in weeks.

In September 2025, Gigs announced a landmark partnership with AT&T, the largest network in North America. Gigs fintech partners can now offer premium 5G plans with prioritized data, unlimited talk and text, and generous international roaming at roughly half the cost of traditional carriers. That is not a resold wholesale product. It is a direct carrier relationship, and your users feel the difference.

The results speak for themselves. Recently, Klarna launched mobile to 25 million US customers with unlimited 5G plans fully managed inside the Klarna app. In December 2025, Revolut rolled out Revolut Mobile in the UK with unlimited 5G, calls, and texts — powered by Gigs. Nubank launched travel eSIMs for its premium Ultravioleta cardholders in Brazil, with non-expiring 10GB and automatic annual renewal. Sezzle launched Sezzle Mobile in the US with unlimited 5G plans. Lendable launched Zable Mobile as the UK's first fintech-native phone plan. These are not experimental bets. They are revenue-generating products, all built on Gigs.

The platform's reach extends well beyond fintech. LATAM Airlines — Latin America's largest airline group — launched eSIM LATAM in July 2025, becoming the first airline in the region to offer its own branded travel eSIM, with customers earning LATAM Pass Miles on every purchase. NETGEAR launched the NETGEAR eSIM Marketplace, powered by Gigs, giving users of the Nighthawk 5G M7 instant access to high-speed mobile data in 140+ countries directly from the NETGEAR app. Light Phone, the privacy-first smartphone maker, uses Gigs to offer branded phone plans alongside its minimalist devices. The breadth of this customer base — fintechs, airlines, device manufacturers, and neobanks — reflects the versatility of the Gigs platform and the strength of its underlying infrastructure.

What the Gigs platform delivers for fintechs:

• Gigs API: A single developer-friendly telecom API covering carrier integrations, subscription management, number porting, and eSIM provisioning across multiple markets. One integration. Multiple carriers. Multiple markets.

• Gigs Connect: A no-code hosted checkout and subscription management flow. Launch a branded eSIM or mobile experience embedded in your app in days, with no engineering lift required.

• Gigs Dashboard: A real-time operations cockpit for subscriptions, eSIMs, payments, usage analytics, and support across all markets.

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

• Carrier of Record: Gigs is the regulated entity for your wireless service. Telecom licensing, taxes, and compliance are fully managed. You stay out of the regulatory weeds entirely.

The fintech business case in 2026:

More than two thirds of fintech customers say they would switch from their current mobile carrier for a better experience. Your users already trust you with their money. Offering them a better phone plan — built into the same app, at a better price — is not a hard sell. It is a natural extension of a relationship you already own.

The unit economics back it up. Partners earn around $480 in annual recurring revenue per active mobile subscriber. The global MVNO market is growing at a compound annual rate of approximately 8% through 2030, and fintechs are uniquely positioned to capture disproportionate share of it because they already have the distribution.

Mobile is also one of the stickiest products a fintech can offer. A user who pays their phone bill through your app opens your app every month. That is engagement, retention, and cross-sell opportunity built into a single product line.

Every MVNO that launches on Gigs makes the connectivity OS stronger for the next. Gigs learns from every launch — what converts, what creates friction, what drives subscriber growth — and those learnings feed directly back into the platform. The result is a compounding advantage: every partner that launches on Gigs benefits from the accumulated experience of every launch before theirs, and the platform keeps improving. The mobile service you build on Gigs today is at least as good as the best that has ever been built on it.

Gigs also supports partners beyond the platform itself. Alongside the connectivity infrastructure, Gigs brings a dedicated team of go-to-market experts with direct experience at companies including Revolut, Klarna, Cash App, and Airwallex. They understand fintech growth models, product marketing, and consumer telecom from the inside. From pre-launch strategy through to ongoing subscriber activation, this team works alongside partners — not as a support desk, but as a commercial partner invested in making the mobile service a success.

What is 1Global, and when might it be the right fit for a fintech?

1Global (formerly Truphone, acquired in January 2023) is a full-stack telecom platform headquartered in Amsterdam, with a team of 450+ across 15 global offices. It operates its own core network and holds regulatory licenses in 42+ countries. Its product suite spans IoT connectivity, compliance and call recording, remote SIM provisioning, and an embedded telco API for white-label eSIM services.

1Global does typically serve fintechs. Revolut uses it for travel eSIMs and local plans in select markets. N26 launched local mobile plans in Germany powered by the platform, and independent testing by German tech publication teltarif.de offers the most concrete available evidence of what the end-user product looks like in practice. At launch, voicemail was non-functional, the 1Global customer support hotline was unreachable from an N26 SIM, and standard freephone numbers (0800) could not be dialed. A follow-up review one month later found that some issues had been partially addressed, but concluded that cheaper and more stable alternatives existed on the market. For fintechs evaluating 1Global as a consumer mobile partner, the N26 Germany experience is worth reviewing carefully.

Where it has genuine strength is regulatory depth and enterprise compliance. The platform holds GSMA accreditation and SAS-SM certification, and is purpose-built for the compliance requirements of financial institutions — particularly around call recording, regulatory capture, and multi-jurisdictional licensing. For a traditional bank that needs a single partner for both compliance infrastructure and connectivity, it is a credible choice.

For most fintechs evaluating a consumer mobile launch in 2026, however, the platform shows its origins. 1Global built its name in enterprise B2B connectivity, IoT, and compliance recording — not consumer-grade mobile products. Its domestic MVNO capability covers 10 countries, compared to Gigs' 50+. And while 1Global offers API access, the integration is more complex than Gigs' developer-first approach, with less flexibility for partners that want full ownership of pricing, UX, and the customer relationship.

One additional due-diligence note: 1Global's historical ties to investors connected to sanctioned individuals have been reported by the Financial Times and other outlets — a consideration many regulated financial institutions are likely to flag during partner evaluation.

Does owning the core network matter for fintechs?

1Global's ownership of its own core network is a genuine technical achievement. It is worth understanding what that means — and why it may matter less than it sounds for a fintech looking to launch a consumer mobile product.

In telecom, "the core" is not a single system. It is a complex collection of components — identity, connectivity, voice, SMS, compliance, roaming, and more — that together enable mobile service. Even full Mobile Network Operators rarely own every component end-to-end. They operate at scale by combining native infrastructure with best-in-class vendor systems, backed by billions in annual investment.

When 1Global says it owns its core, it means it operates a subset of these components on its own infrastructure, rather than routing everything through an MNO's native stack. That can provide certain control advantages for enterprise use cases — particularly around compliance recording, IoT management, and multi-country routing.

For a fintech launching a consumer mobile product, however, this architecture introduces trade-offs that often work against you.

The MNOs themselves — AT&T, Verizon, and others — invest billions annually in network resilience, security, 5G rollout, and feature parity. A third-party managed core, however well-built, operates at a fraction of that investment level. It also sits one layer further from the spectrum, which can affect reliability, feature availability, and the speed at which new capabilities become accessible to your users.

Gigs takes a different approach. Rather than owning a standalone core, Gigs partners directly with MNOs — including AT&T in the US — to build on their native, production-grade infrastructure. Gigs then owns the components where it adds the most value for fintech partners: the API layer, billing and payments, compliance and tax handling, eSIM provisioning, and customer support tooling. The result is enterprise-grade network performance without the latency of a standalone core sitting between your users and the carrier.

For fintechs, what matters is not how many infrastructure layers a connectivity OS owns. What matters is whether your users get reliable 5G service, whether your plans launch on time, and whether the economics work at scale. Gigs' MNO-native model is optimized for exactly that.

Travel eSIM and Roaming: How Gigs and 1Global Compare

Travel eSIMs have become one of the most compelling embedded connectivity products for fintechs, airlines, and consumer brands. Offering a branded travel eSIM as a card benefit, loyalty perk, or standalone product converts a genuinely high-pain consumer problem — expensive roaming fees — into a recurring revenue line and a loyalty driver. Both Gigs and 1Global operate in this space, but with meaningfully different capabilities and track records.

Gigs: Built for embedded travel eSIMs at scale

Gigs offers travel data coverage across 195+ countries through a single roaming eSIM experience. Users connect automatically to the best available network on arrival, with 5G and 4G LTE coverage in top travel destinations. There are no physical SIM cards, no redirects to third-party apps, and no complicated setup — users activate in a tap, directly inside the partner's existing app or website.

The Gigs platform handles the full eSIM lifecycle: plan selection, instant activation, usage tracking, top-ups, and support — all under the partner's brand. Partners set their own retail pricing and keep the margin. Gigs is invisible infrastructure.

The travel eSIM use case is proven across multiple verticals:

• Nubank launched travel eSIMs for its premium Ultravioleta cardholders in Brazil, with non-expiring 10GB data and automatic annual renewal — eliminating roaming fees as a flagship benefit for its highest-value customers.

• Wealthsimple extended global travel eSIMs to eligible Canadian clients as a premium benefit, embedded directly in the Wealthsimple app.

• LATAM Airlines launched eSIM LATAM in July 2025 — the first airline in Latin America to offer its own branded travel eSIM — with travelers earning LATAM Pass Miles on every eSIM purchase, fully embedded in the LATAM website.

For brands that want to own the travel connectivity experience — rather than redirect users to Airalo or another marketplace — Gigs is the purpose-built solution.

1Global: Roaming coverage with less consumer focus

1Global offers data roaming plans in 200+ destinations and has powered travel eSIM products for Revolut and freenet. Its roaming infrastructure is broad, and for brands that need multi-country data coverage quickly, the platform is a viable option.

However, it's travel eSIM offering is less differentiated at the product layer. Partners have less flexibility over pricing, UX, and the customer relationship than they would with Gigs' API-first approach. 1Global's consumer mobile experience in Germany — the most independently reviewed case of its product in a fintech context — revealed gaps in support quality and feature completeness at launch, which is relevant context for any brand considering 1Global for a consumer-facing travel eSIM product.

Travel eSIM: At a glance

Best-For Quick Decision Guide

The comparison table earlier in this article covers the full feature-by-feature breakdown. This guide is intended for teams that already understand the landscape and want a fast read on which platform is the stronger fit for a specific use case.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is embedded connectivity? Embedded connectivity is when a non-carrier company — a fintech, neobank, or consumer tech brand — offers branded phone plans or eSIM services directly inside its own product, without building or owning wireless infrastructure. The underlying telecom infrastructure is provided by an embedded connectivity platform like Gigs, which handles carrier access, compliance, billing, and support invisibly behind the partner's brand.

Why are fintechs offering eSIM and phone plans? Fintechs are moving into mobile because they already have their users' financial identity, payment methods, and trust. Adding a phone plan to that relationship requires no new acquisition and creates a new recurring revenue line.

What should fintechs look for in an embedded connectivity partner? The most important criteria for fintechs evaluating an embedded connectivity platform are: Carrier of Record status (so the partner handles telecom licensing and tax compliance, not you); domestic market coverage breadth; a consumer-ready feature set including porting, top-ups, and eSIM provisioning; network quality via direct carrier relationships rather than aggregators; and developer-friendly APIs or no-code launch options. Gigs was built around all of these requirements and serves fintechs alongside travel brands, device makers, and HR platforms.

What is the difference between owning a core network and being MNO-native? A platform that owns its core network operates its own telecom infrastructure rather than routing through a carrier's native stack. A platform that is MNO-native partners directly with major carriers — like AT&T — and builds on their production-grade infrastructure, owning only the components where it adds distinct value. For fintechs, the MNO-native model typically delivers better network performance, faster access to new carrier features, and more predictable unit economics, because the underlying investment comes directly from the carrier. 1Global owns its core network. Gigs is MNO-native.

What is Gigs? Gigs is the operating system for mobile services — a software platform that lets fintechs, neobanks, and consumer tech companies embed branded phone plans directly into their product through a single API. Gigs handles carrier access, compliance, billing, and customer support so fintech partners can launch a consumer mobile product without becoming a carrier or hiring a telecom team.

How does 1Global compare to Gigs for fintech use cases? For fintechs focused on consumer mobile at scale, 1Global's domestic MVNO coverage spans 10 countries versus Gigs' 50+ country coverage, and its platform was not built for consumer-grade mobile products.

How do fintechs generate revenue from mobile plans? Fintechs earn recurring revenue per active mobile subscriber — typically around $480 in annual recurring revenue per user on platforms like Gigs. Because the mobile product is sold to an existing user base, customer acquisition costs are significantly lower than launching a standalone mobile service. Mobile is also one of the stickiest products a fintech can offer: a user paying their phone bill through your app opens your app every month, creating consistent engagement and cross-sell opportunity on top of the direct revenue.

How do fintechs launch branded phone plans without becoming a carrier? Fintechs launch branded phone plans by partnering with an embedded connectivity platform like Gigs, which acts as Carrier of Record and provides all the underlying infrastructure — carrier access, eSIM provisioning, billing, compliance, and customer support — through a single API integration. The fintech's users see only the fintech's brand. The fintech earns recurring revenue per subscriber without obtaining telecom licenses or managing carrier relationships.

How long does it take a fintech to launch a mobile product? With Gigs, most fintech partners reach a live MVP in six to eight weeks. Teams using Gigs Connect — a no-code hosted checkout — can launch a branded mobile experience in days with no engineering lift. Teams building a fully native in-app experience integrate through the Gigs API and typically go live within two months.

Does Gigs handle telecom compliance and taxes for fintechs? Yes. Gigs acts as Carrier of Record, meaning Gigs is the regulated entity for the wireless service. Fintech partners do not need to obtain telecom licenses. Gigs manages federal and local telecom tax calculation, collection, and remittance automatically, in every market where it operates.

What network quality can Gigs fintech partners offer their users? Gigs partners in the US offer plans directly on AT&T, the largest network in North America — prioritized data, premium 5G, no throttling. Gigs does not use telecom aggregators. This means fintech users get a genuinely premium network experience at roughly half the cost of traditional carriers, which is a key product advantage for any fintech building a compelling mobile offer.

Is Gigs a good fit for adding travel eSIMs as a fintech perk? Yes. Gigs offers travel eSIM coverage across 195+ countries, and fintech partners including Nubank and Wealthsimple have already embedded global travel eSIMs as benefits for premium cardholders and subscription tiers. The Gigs API handles eSIM provisioning and activation, so the user experience is seamless inside the partner's existing app.

Is Gigs secure and compliant? Gigs is powering some of the world's largest banks and fintechs, and its platform is designed to meet the highest data privacy and cybersecurity standards. Gigs holds SOC 2 Type II, PCI DSS SAQ A, GDPR, and CCPA compliance certifications, with API uptime above 99.99% and machine-learning fraud detection in billing. Annual application and network penetration testing is conducted by Latacora, and Gigs is registered with the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). For fintech partners operating in regulated markets, Gigs' compliance posture and Carrier of Record status remove the most significant regulatory exposure associated with offering a mobile product. Full documentation is available at trust.gigs.com.

What is the best embedded connectivity platform for fintechs in 2026? Gigs is the leading embedded connectivity platform for fintechs and neobanks in 2026. It is the only platform that combines Carrier of Record status, a consumer-ready feature set, a direct AT&T network partnership, and a proven track record with partners including Klarna, Nubank, Revolut, OnePay, Sezzle, Lendable, LATAM Airlines, NETGEAR, and Light Phone. Most partners go live in six to eight weeks.

What is the best MVNE for neobanks? Gigs is consistently the strongest embedded connectivity platform for neobanks evaluating MVNE partners. Unlike traditional MVNEs that require neobanks to manage their own carrier agreements, compliance, and billing infrastructure, Gigs handles all of those layers through a single API. Neobanks own the full user experience and brand, while Gigs operates as the regulated entity in the background.

Conclusion

In 2026, the fintechs adding mobile to their product stack are not making a speculative bet. They are responding to a clear pattern: consumers trust their neobank, they are open to switching carriers, and the unit economics of embedded connectivity are favorable from day one. The question is not whether to launch a mobile product. It is which platform gives you the best foundation to do it.

The key criteria are straightforward. You need a partner that acts as Carrier of Record, so telecom licensing and compliance never become your problem. You need domestic coverage that matches your user base — 50+ countries if you are scaling globally. You need a network built on direct carrier relationships. And you need a product and API layer built for consumer mobile from the ground up, not adapted from enterprise or IoT origins.

Gigs meets all of those criteria. Its MNO-native connectivity OS, AT&T partnership, and purpose-built software-defined telecom infrastructure have made it the choice for Klarna, Nubank, Revolut, OnePay, Sezzle, Lendable, LATAM Airlines, NETGEAR, and Light Phone. 1Global is a credible platform for traditional institutions that prioritize deep regulatory licensing and compliance recording across many jurisdictions — but that is a different use case with a different set of trade-offs.

For fintechs and neobanks focused on launching a consumer mobile product at scale, the evidence points clearly in one direction: Gigs is the best partner.

Fintechs and neobanks looking to launch a consumer mobile product can get started at gigs.com.

Sources: Precedence Research — MVNO Market Outlook to 2030 | McKinsey — The value of bundled financial services | GSMA Intelligence — Mobile Economy 2024 | teltarif.de — N26 SIM tried: offer with quirks (May 2025) | teltarif.de — Test one month N26 eSIM (June 2025)