Apple wants to be your wireless carrier

A MVNO, or mobile virtual network operator, is a company that runs a service built upon borrowed networks leased from established carriers.

Apple may be planning to become a wireless carrier.

To say the very least, investors didn’t like the idea of Apple becoming an MVNO, and sold the stock heavily with Apple’s share price dropping 4.4 percent in the first 90 minutes of trade on the NASDAQ Tuesday. Instead, the company would use infrastructure provided by an existing mobile phone network, while offering unique features or services to customers. While Apple tends to ignore rumors completely, it took the unusual step of issuing a blanket rejection of its supposed MVNO plans. The device makes are said to be engaged in advanced talks with the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), a mobile standards organization dating to 1995 used by T-Mobile (TMUS), AT&T (T) and other carriers, to implement E-SIM technology across device makers. A previous report from TechCrunch stated that Apple’s patent filing for an MVNO service goes way back in 2006 which has since then been filed for an extension.

However, though Apple has the technological prowess and sufficient resources to provide a state-of-the-art MVNO service, it will still have to face competition from players like Google Inc. Pop in an Apple SIM and let Apple handle all of the backend including picking the best carrier for your situation. The rumor gained steam yesterday when Business Insider claimed to have heard from sources close to Apple that the company was actually trialing (in private) an MVNO service in the U.S., though Apple was quick to shoot it down.

Apple has in the testing phase iCloud Voicemail, which is a service transcribing voicemail messages harnessing Siri. So while a denial has been issued by Apple, the coming years may show the service materializing.

At the end of the plan customers can continue to use Apple Music and have the monthly fee billed to their Telstra account. Apple introduced the Apple SIM with cellular versions of the iPad Air 2, allowing customers to opt for the wireless carrier they’d like data service from, without the need for installing a carrier-provided SIM.