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Description

In general, the types of phones and other devices supported by the MVNOs are in line with the technologies used by the Mobile Network Operator (MNO), the underlying cellular network provider. All major and regional MNOs use 4G LTE / LTE Advanced and 5G NR protocols (2G and 3G having been deprecated and shut down), with GSM technologies.

However, many MVNOs tend to sell somewhat older phone models (e.g. ones discontinued by the host networks), which can affect whether all technologies supported by the carrier network are usable by MVNO customers. The acronym BYOD means “Bring Your Own Device“, indicating that a customer can port a cellphone or other cellular device they already own to the MVNO, rather than having to buy/rent a new device from them (assuming it is compatible with the host network, has not been reported stolen, is not still locked into a contract, etc.). MVNOs often restrict the list of BYOD devices they’ll support to a smaller subset than the host networks. MVNOs will often push/favor a specific model phone because it is locked into the host carrier “preferred network” that gives that MVNO the best deal/rates.^{[citation needed]}