“移动虚拟运营商争取在非洲站稳脚跟。双卡双待设备会是虚商所需要的刺激点么？”De Wet Bisschoff说道。
2016年世界移动大会在巴塞罗那举办，所有的目光都聚焦在巴塞罗那。非洲电信运营商应该关注的一个主要课题是“移动虚运营商正在经历什么”。
虚商是无线通信服务提供商，他们不是通过自己的网络基础设施提供服务。像网络服务提供商，虚商从网络运营商那里购买大量地使用基础设施的机会。
在全球其他市场上移动虚拟运营商已然较为普及，然而在撒哈拉以南非洲地区虚商的发展还是比较滞后的。然而，随着多卡多待设备的普及，这个局面也将改变。
多卡多待手机将会为虚商发展打开一个新的领域以为供虚商提供服务。多卡多待设备让消费者无须改变其现有服务提供商。这将在通信领域产生颠覆性改变，因为用户第一次可以同时接入两个网络而使用一个手机就好。
一个竞争激烈的市场
双卡双待设备能为用户提供多种便利，因而在非洲用户群里很受欢迎。价格低，待机时间场，功能性强。此外，这种设备还允许用户在不同服务提供商的网络包之间相互切换。
虚商的吸引所有力还在于一些特殊服务提供批发价。虚商不需要提供通信服务，只需要专注于其细分的一两个领域即可。双卡双待用户可以很方便地就使用这些服务，同时仍然可以保有原来的网络运营商作为他们主要服务提供商。
许多网络运营商看到他们的入网注册用户增长缓慢，开始寻求与虚商、银行、零售商的合作。我们已经能明显看到在两个虚商活动最活跃的非洲国家之间的合作已经处于萌芽状态，这两个国家就是肯尼亚和南非。
SIM的力量
非洲的双卡双待设备的销售量已经多年处于增长状态，高昂的跨网通话费用极大地促进了这一现象的出现。双卡双待设备用户用多张SIM卡可以在不同网络之间切换，这样非常有利于节省成本。
毫不惊奇的是，非洲移动支付市场是世界上发展最快的一个市场，这很大程度上是利用了双卡双待设备的优势。肯尼亚的股权银行去年推出一种和纸一样薄的SIM卡附着在现存的SIM卡上，使用户能使用银行的移动支付服务。这非常有效地让用户在其主要运营商以及股权银行专有化的数据服务之间自由转换。
传统上，非洲的虚商一直在与基础运营商之间竞争，为自己争取开拓出一片市场。基础运营商占据通话服务的主要市场份额。非洲对于数据服务的需求将平衡这个竞争市场，因为虚商可以专注于网络服务包，零售应用以及其它数字服务。在自己的细分市场，虚商再也不用承担移动网络运营商的角色了。
打开市场
南非虚商和肯尼亚的伙伴一样正面临相同的问题，高终端费率一直阻碍他们通过网络继续提供有竞争力的通话成本。南非电信的新管理规定将减少终端费率，这就会使虚商出现一轮新增长。这将极大有利于新的竞争者进入市场。
面临虚商主要竞争优势的丧失，运营商开始出售更多的网络给转售商。Cell C最近在向批发合作伙伴开放其基础设施方面迈出了更大一步。
网络运营商的其他机会是提供双卡双待手机作为他们的打包服务。已经看到了这一发展趋势，MTN在去年年底已然推出了其第一个双卡双待设备。
目前，双卡双待市场在南非的开发与非洲其他地区不尽相同。但仍然看到了增长迹象。根据国际数据公司数据，双卡双待设备在南非的手机市场占据了34.6%。对于运营商来讲，现在是绝佳时机利用虚商与双卡双待手机这对绝佳伴侣来拓展服务。
手牵手，一起走
肯尼亚和南非的活动让我们看到非洲其他地区的虚商发展前景是怎样的呢？越近距离观察虚商与多卡多待设备用户之间的关系，越能明显地发现其之间是一种共生共栖的关系。
双卡双待的发展将促进虚商的创新，他们提供的服务将引导更多的人找出更多的SIM卡。在接下来的几年里我们将看到这样一个市场：虚商通过提供用户可承担的数据包，实际上支持双卡的使用设备,反之亦然。
De Wett Bisschoff是撒哈拉以南非洲地区埃森哲通信、媒体和技术部门的总经理
Time right for MVNO lift-off in Africa
Mobile virtual network operators have struggled to gain a foothold in Africa. Could the rise of dual-Sim devices be the catalyst they need? By De Wet Bisschoff.
All eyes are turned towards Barcelona this week, where Mobile World Congress 2016 is taking place. One of the main topics on the agenda, one which African telecommunications operators should pay close attention to, is what’s happening with mobile virtual network operators.
MVNOs are wireless communications service providers that do not own the network infrastructure through which they provide services. Like Internet service providers, MVNOs buy bulk access to infrastructure from network operators.
While MVNOs are common in other global markets, their growth has been sluggish at best in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this is all set to change thanks to the rise of the multi-Sim user.
Dual-Sim phones are opening up the field for MVNOs to offer their own services, without requiring customers to switch from their existing providers. They have the potential to be disruptive in the telecommunications space, as customers can for the first time access two competing networks at once, without having to own more than one phone.
A bustling market
Dual-SIM devices offer a number of benefits that make them attractive to African users. They tend to be low cost, durable and functional. In addition, they allow for users to switch between Internet bundles from different service providers.
The attraction of MVNOs is that they are able to offer wholesale prices for specialised services. Instead of needing to cover the entire range of telecoms services, they can focus on just one or two. Dual-Sim users are easily able to make use of these services, while still retaining a network operator as their main service provider.
As many network operators see their subscriber growth slow, they are beginning to explore partnerships with MVNOs, banks and retailers. We can already begin to see the seeds of these partnerships being sown in the two African nations where MVNO activity has been highest, namely Kenya and South Africa.
The power of the Sim
Sales of dual-Sim devices have been on the rise in Africa for a number of years now, driven largely by the high cost of cross-network calls. Users who own multiple Sims can switch between networks as a cost-saving measure.
Unsurprisingly, the African mobile money market — one of the most advanced in the world — has been quick to take advantage of the possibilities of dual-Sim devices. Kenya’s Equity Bank launched a paper-thin Sim card last year that latches onto an existing SIM, giving access to the bank’s mobile money service. This effectively lets users switch between their main network provider and Equity Bank’s specialised data offerings.
Traditionally, African MVNOs have struggled to carve out a niche for themselves against infrastructure-owning operators, who dominate the market share for voice services. Africa’s need for data services could level the playing field, as MVNOs can focus on offering Internet bundles, retail apps and other digital services. No longer will they need to take on mobile network operators at their own game.
Opening the field
South African MVNOs face the same problem as their Kenyan counterparts: high termination rates that can prevent them from offering competitive voice calling costs across networks. They are set to get a major boost as new regulations from Icasa will see a decrease in termination rates. This should greatly facilitate the entrance of new players into the market.
Faced with the loss of a major competitive advantage over MVNOs, this could drive operators to start selling more of their networks to resellers. Cell C has recently made great strides in opening up its infrastructure to wholesale partners.
The other major opportunity for network operators is to start offering dual-Sim smartphones as part of their packages. We are already seeing signs of this happening, with MTN having launched its first dual-Sim device at the end of last year.
Currently, the dual-Sim market is not as established in South Africa as it is in the rest of Africa, but we are seeing definite signs of growth. According to International Data Corp, dual-Sim devices make up 34,6% of smartphones in South Africa. For operators, it’s the perfect time to take advantage and recognise that MVNOs and dual-Sim phones make perfect bedfellows.
Hand in hand
What do the activities in Kenya and South Africa tell us about the prospects of MVNOs in the rest of Africa? The closer one looks at the relationship between MVNOs and multi-Sim users, the more obvious it becomes that it’s symbiotic.
Dual-Sim growth will drive innovation from MVNOs, and the services they offer will lead to more people seeking out multiple Sims. Over the next few years, we should see a market where MVNOs actually bolster the use of dual-Sim devices, and vice versa, by offering affordable data packages.
De Wett Bisschoff is MD of Accenture Communications, Media and Technology for sub-Saharan Africa
责任编辑：葛梦洁
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