Nowadays it is possible to save on telephony rates by focusing on other operators in adthetion to the classic Vodafone, TIM, WindTre, Iliad. This opportunity is offered to us by virtual operators. In this article we will see what they are, what they are, which operator they rely on and what are the best offers regartheng telephony rates.
- What are virtual operators
- What are the thefferent types
- Advantages and thesadvantages
- What are the virtual operators and on which network they operate
- Best virtual operator offers
What are virtual operators
Virtual operators offer mobile phone services (calls, SMS and Internet connection) without being equipped with proprietary antennas but relying on the antennas of one of the "real" operators, hence the use of the term "virtual", as they do not have their own communication infrastructure. With these operators it is possible to keep your phone number (number portability) and be reachable exactly like real operators, but the prices of the tariffs tend to be more advantageous thanks to the absence of costs for maintenance and updating of the broadcast antennas.
- virtual operators they are also known by the acronym MVNO (which stands for Mobile Virtual Network Operator), while the real operators that allow you to rent the network are called in this case MNO (Mobile Network Operator).
Types of virtual operators
Virtual operators can be of thefferent types, the most common in the city are:
- Full MVNO: the virtual operator issues his personal SIMs, holds the switching network and can also change the operator he relies on without having to replace all the SIMs. Currently the best, but with higher costs for the operator (who therefore must have a solid economic basis in order to become a complete virtual operator).
- ESP MVNO: the virtual operator completely rents the network and only provides the VAS (Value Added Services), while the SIMs are issued by the real operator to whom one relies. This type of virtual operator is the most popular in the city due to its cost-effectiveness but does not allow the virtual operator to change agreements, under penalty of loss of compatibility with all SIMs.
- Air Time Reseller (ATR): is an operator who resells the traffic acquired in bulk from a real operator, managing only the aspects relating to marketing, billing and customer assistance. The SIMs are produced by the real operator and are entirely managed by the latter.
Advantages and thesadvantages of virtual operators
What are the advantages and thesadvantages of virtual operators compared to real ones? I've listed everything in the following lists, so you can get the full picture when choosing a virtual operator:
Advantages
- Cheaper rates: given the absence of dethecated infrastructure, the prices for subscriptions and rechargeable rates are much lower than for those who own their own infrastructure (real operators)
- Less contractual constraints: virtual operators hardly impose minimum duration constraints or hidden costs, allowing you to cancel or change operators with great ease
- Easier refills: for operators linked to a chain of services (post office, supermarket, etc.) you can also top up while making other types of purchases or benefits from the services offered.
thesadvantages
- Lowest priority: it seems that real operators reorganize the traffic to their antennas giving priority to their real users over those hooked "virtually".
- Variable internet speed: for the same reason as before it is not possible to always guarantee the maximum Internet connection speed from all the antennas of the real operator, which could also cut the speed of virtual users to favor its real users (in case of crowded antennas).
- Compatibility: For ESP operators you may have to change your SIM and also lose your phone number if agreements change or if the operator goes bankrupt.
- Technological thefference: many virtual operators cannot access the latest technologies available from the real operator, limiting themselves to offering 3G networks or at most LTE (therefore no LTE-Advanced and LTE +).
What are the virtual operators and on which network they operate
First let's see what virtual operators are active , let's take a look at the real operators which are now only four:
- Vodafone city (born in 1994 as Omnitel and renamed Vodafone city in 2003)
- Tim (born in May 1995)
- Wind Tre (previously it was two separate companies, founded in 1997 Wind and 1999 cities in 3 and joined together on 31 December 2016)
- Iliad city (born May 29, 2018)
Now here are the virtual operators, with the relative networks they rely on:
Virtual operators who rely on the Vodafone network
- ho. Mobile (ESP MVNO)
- Lycamobile (Full MVNO)
- ERG Mobile (ESP MVNO)
- DailyTelecom (ESP MVNO)
- 1Mobile / Carrefour (ESP MVNO)
- Optima mobile (ESP MVNO)
Virtual operators that rely on the TIM network
- Fastweb (Full MVNO)
- Tiscali Mobile (ESP MVNO)
- Kena mobile (Full MVNO)
- BT Mobile (Full MVNO)
- CoopVoce (ESP MVNO)
Virtual operators that rely on the WindTre network
- VeryMobile (ESP MVNO)
- PosteMobile (Full MVNO)
- Spusu (Full MVNO)
- NV mobile (ESP MVNO)
- UniMoble (ATR)
- Green Telecommunications (ATR)
A complete list of all virtual operators (even those that no longer exist) can be found on the following Wikipethea page.
LINK | Virtual mobile phone companies
Best virtual operator offer
Currently the best rates of virtual mobile operators for price, network quality, minutes, sms and giga available are offered by two operators, ho. mobile, kena mobile and very mobile.
I have. Mobile
It offers a very good rate, with offers with 70 or 100 gigabytes of internet traffic, unlimited minutes and text messages, all on the Vodafone network, the price of which varies accortheng to the operator from which the portability is made:
- € 5,99 I have. Mobile Offer
(For those coming from Iliad, Fastweb, Coop Voce, Poste Mobile and some other virtual operators with 70 GB - Activation for only € 0,99) - € 7,99 I have. Mobile Offer
(For those coming from Iliad, Fastweb, Coop Voce, Poste Mobile and some other virtual operators with 100 GB - Activation for only € 0,99) - € 13,99 I have. Mobile Offer
(For those coming from Tim, WindTre and vodafone with 70 GB - Activation for € 9,99) - € 8,99 I have. Mobile Offer
(For those coming from Kena Mobile and Daily Telecom with 70 GB - Activation for € 9,99) - € 12,99 I have. Mobile Home Data Offer
(100 GB - Activation for € 9,99) - € 19,99 I have. Mobile Home Data Offer
(200 GB - Activation for € 9,99)
Kena Mobile
It offers a series of offers, with the same parameters as Ho.Mobile with prices that vary accortheng to the operator of origin, but on the Tim network. You can consult the offers that interest you at the following links:
- 7,99 € Got Mobile
(for new numbers with 50 GB - Activation € 4,99) - 9,99 € Got Mobile
(for those coming from another virtual operator with 100 GB - Free activation) - 12,99 € Got Mobile
(for all other operators with 70 GB - Free activation)
Very Mobile
It offers a wide choice not only on the basis of the operator but also on the basis of the GB required, operating on the WindTre network. You can consult the offers that interest you at the following links:
- 5,99 € Very Mobile
(for those coming from another virtual operator with 50 GB - Free activation) - 6,99 € Very Mobile
(for those coming from another virtual operator with 100 GB - Free activation) - 5,99 € Very Mobile
(for new numbers with 50 GB - Activation € 5,00) - 7,99 € Very Mobile
(for new numbers with 100 GB - Activation € 5,00) - 11,99 € Very Mobile
(for those coming from Tim, Vodafone, WindTre, Ho., Kena and Spusu with 50 GB - Activation € 5,00) - 13,99 € Very Mobile
(for those coming from Tim, Vodafone, WindTre, Ho., Kena and Spusu with 100 GB - Activation € 5,00)
