Brazil’s Consumer MVNO Market Explodes with a 97% Surge in Connections

Consumer focused mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), are experiencing a boom in Brazil, with the number of connections nearly doubling over the past year.

According to a study by the consultancy firm Teleco, based on data from the country’s national telecom agency (Anatel), consumer MVNO connections grew by an impressive 97% over the last 12 months, reaching 2.2 million in the second quarter of 2025.

This surge is happening across the board, affecting both prepaid and postpaid plans.

Notably, this growth excludes the significant machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) markets, which has been a focus for many of the MVNOs in Brazil.

“Unlike what happened in other countries, the initial focus of MVNOs in Brazil was the B2B market for M2M data communication for IoT, not the consumer,” Teleco noted in its analysis. This shift toward the consumer market signals a new phase of expansion for the MVNOs.

In Brazil, there are two types of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs): Authorized and Accredited

An Authorized MVNO is a company that has its own license from Anatel, the Brazilian telecom agency, to provide mobile service. This gives them greater independence and flexibility. They can negotiate and sign contracts directly with network operators and have regulatory responsibilities similar to those of major carriers. Examples are: Arqia, Surf, NLT, Telecal, Vero.

An Accredited MVNO operates under the umbrella of an authorized operator. This type of company uses the infrastructure and license of an authorized MVNO, which means they have fewer regulatory obligations and less autonomy. They essentially rely on the authorized operator for their network and licensing needs.

As of the second quarter of 2025, Brazil had 142 Accredited MVNOs, managed by a handful of Authorized MVNA/MVNE/MVNOs. The mobile connections from the Accredited MVNOs are included in the total subscriber numbers that the Authorized companies report to Anatel.

The consumer MVNO market is led by the authorized (MVNA/MVNE) Surf, thanks to its partnership with the MVNO of the national postal service, Correios, which holds the largest number of customers among accredited MVNOs in the country. Meanwhile, Arqia dominates the specialized IoT market.

Teletime also noticed that Teleco survey highlighted another key trend: fixed broadband providers are increasingly bundling mobile services with their home internet packages, which is fueling the growth of consumer MVNOs. An example of such is Vero, who had already accumulated 222,000 mobile subscribers by the end of the second quarter.

When you include all MVNOs—both consumer-facing and M2M/IoT—the total number of connections in Brazil reached 8.5 million, marking a 43.3% increase in the last 12 months with M2M/IoT services making up the majority at 6.3 million.

Teleco’s analysis suggests that the potential for MVNOS to expand further in Brazil remains high.

Still the number of MVNO connections represents only 3.2% of the total mobile connections in the country, showing that the market is still in its early stages and has considerable room to grow, the consultancy pointed out.

Unlike in many other parts of the world, Brazil’s MVNOs initially concentrated on the business-to-business (B2B) M2M market for the Internet of Things (IoT), and in the second quarter of 2025, MVNOs were responsible for 22% of the M2M and IoT market.

However, their share of total MVNO connections has fallen from 82.1% in Q2 2024 to 74.1% in Q2 2025, highlighting the growing focus on the consumer market.