An MNO is a provider of wireless communications services that owns or controls the infrastructure necessary to sell and deliver services to end users (subscribers) including radio spectrum allocation, wireless network infrastructure, back haul infrastructure, billing, customer care and provisioning computer systems and marketing, customer care, provisioning and repair organizations. An MNO can outsource any of these systems or functions and still be considered a mobile network operator.
A key defining characteristic of a mobile network operator is that an MNO must own or control access to a radio spectrum license from a regulatory or government entity.