Will Apple Make an MVNO Play in the US?

Apple has disrupted many industries and dethroned incumbents along the way. And while it has made its mark on the wireless industry and claimed a leader position on the application and device front, it has largely stayed away from operators' bread and butter: mobile service revenues.

A wireless industry veteran thinks that's all about to change. While speaking at the Informa MVNO Industry Summit in Barcelona, Whitey Bluestein told attendees that Apple is poised to make a play as a direct mobile service provider.

“The battleground is set, but Apple will be the first mover,” Bluestein says, according to BGR. “Google will have to scramble because it lacks retail distribution, experience with subscriber services and the iTunes ecosystem of content. iTunes and the iTunes Store provide Apple with one-click buying and customer care. Google can acquire most of these capabilities, as it has before, but it is not a core competency of the company.”

Bluestein added that Apple's massive cash reserves could be used to compete with the handset subsidies carriers pay to attract customers to a contract.