Scalability vs. Cost: Designing a Lean 5G Core Network for Emerging MVNOs
For a new mobile virtual network operator, launching a 5G core network project has become increasingly challenging. On one hand, the market demands fast rollout of differentiated services to capture subscribers and roaming revenue. On the other hand, the traditional core network design sits like a heavy burden, making it hard to breathe.
Traditional core networks are usually delivered as large, monolithic systems. A complete solution requires multiple high performance servers, dedicated hardware accelerators, and complex software licenses. For a startup MVNO with only tens of thousands or even just a few thousand subscribers, paying for a core network designed to support millions of users creates a heavy upfront capital expenditure burden. The operator ends up spending a fortune before making its first dollar.
The operational cost side is even more troublesome. Managing a traditional core network requires a dedicated team of engineers for monitoring, upgrades, and troubleshooting. For an MVNO with limited technical resources, this means either high personnel costs or long term dependency on vendor support. When the subscriber base is still small, continuous operating expenses quickly eat into profit margins.
Another Cost of Legacy Architecture: Inflexible Scaling
Even if an MVNO manages to launch, traditional core networks often struggle with traffic fluctuations. MVNO business is typically tidal. A tourist season may suddenly bring a flood of eSIM users, and a marketing campaign may cause a sharp traffic spike. Under the old architecture, scaling up means ordering new hardware, waiting for delivery, and racking and configuring it. The whole process takes weeks. By the time the equipment is ready, the peak traffic has already passed. If the network is overprovisioned to handle peaks, resources sit idle most of the time.
This is the core dilemma for emerging MVNOs. They need a core network that can scale elastically to handle uncertain growth, but they cannot afford the high cost of traditional solutions.
IPLOOK’s Approach: Cloud Native and Microservices Architecture
IPLOOK addresses this pain point with a fundamentally different design. By transforming the 5G core from heavy equipment into lightweight software, and by using cloud native and microservices architecture, IPLOOK redefines the economic model of MVNO network deployment.
On demand scaling instead of upfront investment
All IPLOOK core network functions (such as AMF, SMF, UPF, and AUSF) are delivered as containerized microservices. This means an MVNO only needs to start the necessary service instances based on its current subscriber base. When subscribers grow from 10,000 to 100,000, there is no need to buy new hardware. The operator simply increases the number of container replicas on the cloud platform. This horizontal scaling capability truly links capital expenditure with subscriber growth. You invest more only when you have more users, not before.
High performance with low resource footprint
Cloud native does not mean compromising performance. IPLOOK’s core software is deeply optimized for resource usage and achieves industry leading throughput on standard x86 servers. The memory and CPU consumption per microservice instance is kept very low, enabling MVNOs to support more user sessions with less hardware. For extremely budget sensitive projects, IPLOOK also offers an ultra lightweight core that can even run on edge appliances or virtual machine environments, further lowering the entry barrier.
Automated operations to reduce operating expenses
Thanks to its cloud native foundation, IPLOOK’s core supports declarative configuration, auto scaling, rolling upgrades, and self healing capabilities. Many routine operations can be automated, reducing the need for manual intervention. An MVNO can manage a core network spanning multiple regions with a very small technical team.
From Asset Heavy to Asset Light
What IPLOOK offers to emerging MVNOs is not just software but a new way of thinking. Treat the core network as a service that you pay for as you use, rather than a fixed asset that you purchase upfront. Whether you choose public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, you can flexibly adjust network size according to your actual business pace.
For MVNOs that have just obtained a license and are planning their first core network project, IPLOOK’s lightweight 5G core means no need for millions of dollars in starting capital, no need for a large operations team, and no need to overinvest for future uncertainty. You can start with a small, lean core and then scale smoothly to a full size 5G core as your business grows.
In the MVNO market, speed and cost are often the deciding factors of success. The old core network design logic no longer fits the survival rules of emerging operators. IPLOOK’s lean 5G core, built on cloud native and microservices architecture, is helping more and more MVNOs break free from the false choice between scalability and cost, enabling them to travel light and focus on business innovation and subscriber growth.
