Market share of mobile virtual network operators in Italy 2019

In 2019, Poste Mobile led the mobile virtual network operator (MNVO) market in Italy. Owned by Poste Italiane Group, the leading postal services company in the country, it generated 38.8 percent of the segment's turnover. Ranking second, the Swiss Fastweb had a market share of 29.4 percent. Finally, Coop Italia - the first MNVO to launch in Italy - accounted for 13.1 percent of the market.

The MNVO segment in context

MNVOs have been operating in Italy since 2007. Rather than owning infrastructure, they make agreements with mobile network operators to access their networks. For example, Poste Mobile leverages Wind’s infrastructure, while Fastweb signed a deal with Telecom Italia to utilize its 4G network at least until 2020. In the Italian mobile network market, MNVOs played a marginal role: in 2018, they accounted only for 4.4 percent of the market.

The evolution of Fastweb

Before providing mobile services, Fastweb entered the Italian market to provide broadband Internet. In 2018, it was the fourth telco company in Italy in terms of revenue. In 2018, Fastweb also became the fifth mobile network operator in the country, with its own wireless network infrastructure. In addition to the 3.5 GHz fixed-wireless network bought from Tiscali, it won a 26GHz license at Italy's 5G network auction. Having signed an agreement to share its 5G infrastructure with Wind Tre, their goal was to provide 5G coverage for 90% of the population by 2026, competing with Vodafone and Telecom Italia.