Mobile operators have been engaged in a largely losing battle to seize back control of the user experience from Apple and Google. Some carriers, especially in emerging markets, have had some success, often by working closely with over-the-top players or by branding strong white label offerings like the Opera browsers. But in the developed mobile markets, where iOS and Android rule, the MNOs just can’t resist going step further than trying to create their own alternative operating system. Increasingly, however, these are variants of Android – from overlays to full forks – rather than completely original platforms. And while that fragmentation is a headache for Google, because it reduces the number of Android devices on which its user experience and…