Too often the barriers to entry for a brand new mobile operator have proved to be too high, and while regulators round the world may push for increased competition, in reality mobile services remain the preserve of a narrowing clique. MVNOs can help increase consumer choice, of course, but control of the pace and quality of infrastructure expansion, and the pricing for wholesale and retail services, is to a greater or lesser extent in the hands of a few. Occasionally, there is a dramatic exception, as seen in France with the launch of Iliad’s Free Mobile. Free harnessed a clever combination of its existing broadband lines, a roaming deal with Orange, and WiFi, to minimize its need to invest in…