Australian company Dodo offers Internet and 4G mobile services as well as energy and insurance products. Dodo won’t be building a 5G network, as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) Dodo resells mobile network access.
Virtual Network Operator
Since entering the Australian market 2001, Dodo has become known for providing excellent low-cost product offerings.
The company’s vision is to offer its customers the very best solutions at competitive prices, providing customers with more choice and great value for money.
Dodo is one of many MVNO’s operating in Australia. They don’t own or maintain the network, but instead resell services from one of the main carriers to its customers. Other MVNO’s include Aldi, Coles, and Virgin Mobile.
Dodo’s 5G Rollout
Because Dodo uses the Optus 4G network, any 5G service offerings from Dodo in the future will likely ride on the back of the Optus 5G network.
Dodo won’t be carrying out any of the heavy lifting of a 5G rollout. Once Optus has built its 5G network, Dodo will likely resell access to its customers. It’s not known exactly when Dodo will get access to the Optus 5G network after its built, or when other MVNO’s will be able to access Telstra or Vodafone’s 5G networks.
Network Slicing
MVNOs like Dodo play an important role in the mobile ecosystem through added competition.
Dodo serves niche markets through pricing, product, and service innovation. 5G could deliver new opportunities for Dodo to develop and offer new products and services.
One of the revolutionary features of 5G is network slicing1, and it could create big opportunities for MVNOs like Dodo. Network slicing allows operators to split their networks into separate sub-networks. This allows them to dedicate network resources to different users and applications.
For a network operator like Dodo, network slicing would allow it to deliver capabilities that are tailored for a specific type of use. Dodo and other MVNOs could provide dedicated virtual networks, with functionality that is specific to the service or customer over a common network infrastructure.
Applications of network slicing include things like remote operation of machinery, but there maybe also applications for consumer products like virtual reality gaming.
Network slicing could also provide MVNOs with a cost effective way to share a network between operators. Because of the expected cost of 5G rollout, MNVOs like Dodo could take advantage of infrastructure sharing opportunities with other network providers.
Dodo’s 5G future
5G represents an opportunity for Dodo and other MNVOs to provide customers with new services and products and to keep competition high in the telco industry.
Sources:
1.https://www.communications.gov.au/departmental-news/5g-enabling-future-economy
.svg)
