I think the author confuses MNVO and SIMless phones. Typically, MNVO just rents the physical network and the SIM works just like before. The usual MNVO in Euro

I think the author confuses MNVO and SIMless phones. Typically, MNVO just rents the physical network and the SIM works just like before. The usual MNVO in Europe is a 'dumber pipe' option, with cheaper plans but they state clearly which network they are on. Further, MNVOs get often acquired by the network provider, and continue operating just as a subsidiary with a differentiating marketing strategy / target audience. Great thing about MNVOs is that they could possibly use multiple network providers, and work seamlessly also globally using the available networks with constant pricing. For some reason, this hasn't happened yet. Apple could become a MNVO, but not SIMless because of regulations. However, they can bundle the SIM with the phone and provide custom services only on their network, which gives a better experience to the customer and little reason to change network.