During 2015 there were numerous rumors that suggested that Apple would have plans to become a virtual mobile operator, MNVO, but then the American representatives denied the information, so the questions regarding this initiative stopped.
Today Tim Cook was present at Startup Fest Europe and talked with one of the event moderators about Apple's plans for the future, and starting a business in mobile telephony is not one of his priorities at the moment.
According to Tim Cook, the Apple company does not have enough experience in the development of mobile phone networks, so it does not intend to enter a market segment that it cannot master and in which it does not have enough specialized people.
Tim Cook says that Apple will work in the future on the implementation of E-SIM cards in the iPhone or iPad, but that at the moment Apple is happy to collaborate with mobile operators and is happy with what its partners are doing in this segment of market.
Our expertise does not extend to the network. We've worked with AT&T in the US, O2 in the UK, as well as T-Mobile and Orange, and we expanded as we learned more. But generally, the things Apple likes to do, are things we can do globally. We don't have the network skill. We'll do some things along the way with e-SIMs, but in general, I like the things carriers do.
Apple has implemented in the current iPad tablets an Apple SIM that allows the use of the services of several mobile phone operators on the planet and there is a very high chance that this electronic card will also be found in the iPhone, maybe even starting this year.
The fact that Apple does not want to become a MNVO is not surprising, those from Cupertino could alienate many partner operators if they created competition in terms of the sale of mobile phone services.
