What a Mobile Virtual Network Operator is, in plain terms
A Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO, or OMV in Spanish) is a company that sells mobile phone services, such as minutes, data and text messages, but has not built its own network of antennas. Instead, it reaches an agreement with an operator that does have infrastructure and spectrum, known in the industry as a Mobile Network Operator (MNO, or OMR in Spanish), and uses that network to serve its own customers.
Think of it like a retail space: the building owner provides the walls, electricity and water, and the merchant who leases it brings the brand, the service and the offer for their customers. The MVNO doesn't compete by putting up more towers; it competes by understanding a specific type of customer better and offering them something the big carrier isn't designing for them.
How it works behind the scenes
For the user, an MVNO line looks and works just like any other: it has its own SIM, a Colombian number and the same coverage as the network it runs on. What changes is who serves you, which plans you're offered and what extra services you get.
There are three pieces behind it:
- The network operator (host): provides the antennas and spectrum, and carries the calls and data.
- The MVNO: designs the plans, bills, provides support and adds its own services, such as integrations or specialized support.
- The aggregator (optional): a company that negotiates access with network operators and provides the technical platform so other brands can launch their own mobile service without building everything from scratch.
The Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) describes it this way in its official opinions: the MVNO has no network of its own and provides service through wholesale agreements with one or more network operators. The terms of that usage are negotiated between the companies, and the user pays only their own operator, with no extra charges because it uses someone else's network.
Who sets the rules in Colombia
Two bodies are involved in Colombia:
- The Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC): authorizes companies that provide telecommunications services, which must be listed in the Registro TIC (the national ICT registry).
- The CRC: sets the ground rules between operators, such as network access conditions, wholesale prices, number portability and user rights.
A recent change matters a lot for this model: since April 1, 2026, the CRC has lowered the wholesale charges operators bill each other, including access charges for MVNOs. Call termination between networks dropped 73% and SMS charges fell by up to 97.5%, according to the specialized press. When the cost of using the network goes down, virtual operators have more room to compete on price and on service.
How many MVNOs there are and how big they are
CRC data shows a market that is still concentrated, but on the move:
- In its mobile services report for the third quarter of 2025, the CRC listed nine MVNOs: Virgin, Almacenes Éxito, Suma Móvil, Setroc, ETB, LOV, Cellvoz, Plintron and Flash.
- As of March 2026, MVNOs together had about 5.5 million lines, roughly 5.8% of the mobile market, ahead of WOM (4.8%), according to CRC figures reported by TeleSemana. In other words, combined they are already the third block in the market, after Claro and after Tigo and Movistar.
- In the second quarter of 2026, MVNOs gained a net of about 17,000 lines through portability, whereas a year earlier they had lost about 19,000.
It isn't an overnight revolution, but it is a trend: virtual operators are moving from a niche to a real alternative.
What Suma Móvil is
Suma Móvil is an MVNO that works as an aggregator: instead of focusing only on selling lines under its own brand, it provides the platform and network access so other companies can run their own mobile services. It began operating in Colombia in 2018, and in its comments to the CRC it presents itself as an authorized MVNO running on the Tigo and Movistar networks. According to CRC data, in the second quarter of 2025 it was the only MVNO with a positive porting balance, and in the second quarter of 2026 it closed in positive territory again.
Portability: switch operators without changing your number
Number portability is the right to switch operators while keeping the same number. For a business it's essential, because its number is printed on invoices, vehicles and social media, and it's in its customers' memory.
- You request the switch from the new operator, through digital channels or by phone, and it's usually done within one business day.
- It's verified with a code sent by SMS to your current line, to prevent unauthorized switches.
- Since 2026, the CRC has set a 30-calendar-day wait before you can return to your previous operator and has banned commercial pressure to block the switch.
Colombians use this tool a lot: in the second quarter of 2025 alone there were about 3.34 million operator switches with number retention, according to the CRC.
Why this makes sense for a business
For a business owner, what matters isn't the technology but what you can do with it. A business-focused MVNO can offer:
- Specialized support: an advisor who understands your operation, not a mass customer service queue.
- Services that go beyond the line: numbers that take many calls at once, a cloud phone system (PBX), official WhatsApp on the same number, bulk SMS or AI voice agents.
- Integration with your systems: connecting calls and messages to your CRM (the system where you keep your customers) or your ERP (the billing and inventory system).
- Same coverage: because it uses an established operator's network.
- Flexibility: plans built around what your team actually uses.
A practical example
Take, for example, an auto parts distributor in Medellín with 25 field sales reps and an order line that gets jammed every Monday. Today each rep has a plan with a different operator, customers message personal WhatsApp accounts, and when a rep quits, they take the number and the contacts with them.
With a business MVNO, the distributor could:
- Port the existing lines without changing a single number.
- Turn the order line into a number that takes several calls at once and routes them to available agents.
- Use that same number as official WhatsApp, with several agents responding from one place.
- Set up an AI voice agent to take simple orders after hours.
- Log every call and conversation in its CRM, so the information stays with the company and not on one person's phone.
The result isn't just a different bill: it's a more organized, measurable operation.
How we work at 19 80 TIC Cloud
At 19 80 TIC Cloud we are a Mobile Virtual Network Operator partnered with Suma Móvil, and we work only with businesses, in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In addition to mobile lines, we offer virtual numbers that take many calls at once, a cloud PBX and call center platform, SMS and voice messages, CRM and ERP integration, and international numbers.
If you'd like to see how this would look in your business, talk to an advisor: we review your current operation and propose what you really need. You can also see how we apply it across different industries.
