Yandex is supposedly considering the possibility of entering the market of mobile operators.
According to Kommersant, the company can create a virtual operator based on Tele2 networks. In the future, it is planned to add the ability to switch between operators with greater ease, and opening the space for virtual operators utilizing existing cell infrastructure (with less overheads).
For Yandex, this approach is quite logical, integration with the subscription “Yandex. Plus ”will help in building its own ecosystem, despite the fact that the project may not be profitable.
According to one of the sources, a model for delivering SIM cards by couriers, including through Yandex.Lavka, is being considered for distribution.
TMT Consulting Company predicts an increase in the number of customers of virtual operators by the end of 2019 by 40%.
Tinkoff Mobile and SberMobile became the operators with the largest growth in the subscriber base; in the third quarter, they occupied 9% and 5% of the virtual operators market, respectively. The market leader – “Yota” for the year reduced its market share by 10%, now the company occupies 57% of the market.
