Published on JenTel.mx May 11, 2026
Translated from Spanish, original article here: https://www.jentel.mx/2026/05/11/gsma-intelligence-operadores-podrian-aumentar-arpu-con-entitlement-server/
Latest GSMA Intelligence Report Finds Operators Could Increase ARPU with Entitlement Server
GSMA Intelligence estimates that telecom operators can increase their revenue by 20% to 25% with direct-to-consumer services, in addition to achieving savings of 15% to 20% in RCS provisioning and reductions of up to 40% in operating costs, according to data presented in a webinar co-organized with Motive, with participation from Telefónica and Google.
Telecom operators continue to seek new revenue streams to monetize their substantial infrastructure investments of recent years. Now, the Entitlement Server has emerged as a central element of their strategy, positioning itself as the link between the operator's infrastructure, the increasingly complex ecosystem of devices, and services. This was the conclusion of the recent webinar "Entitlement Server for Scalable eSIM Provisioning and Secure Mobile Identity," organized by GSMA Intelligence and Motive, with the participation of Telefónica and Google.
Why is Entitlement a Critical Next Step? Why Now?
At the opening of the session, Tim Hatt, Head of Research and Consulting at GSMA Intelligence, stated that “There is a window of opportunity right now. The Entitlement Server (ES) is positioned as a gateway to multiple monetization routes for mobile operators.” Hatt emphasized that “things are moving fast,” and while “RCS and messaging have been one purpose and use case, it is really expanding into a large number of other use cases, whether in D2D (direct-to-device) satellite, wireless private networks, IoT, or authentication.”
“The past year has really highlighted some of the benefits this brings in terms of profit and loss,” the analyst explained. According to a GSMA report, device provisioning saw a 15% to 20% reduction in costs, while OPEX savings ranged from 20% to 40% thanks to fewer support requests. But there are also new revenue streams: for example, in the satellite sector, they found increases of 20% to 25% in average revenue per user (ARPU). “To access this, you need the ES,” Hatt maintained.
Hatt showed that there is a wide range of applications based on the ES: Rich Communication Services (RCS) provisioning, eSIM profile transfer, satellite connectivity, VoWiFi, verification by number, and activations for 5G Standalone (SA) are some of them.
Google's Android Network Ready Program and Why Now
Jyoti Black, Director of T/PgM and Partner Engineering Operations at Google, presented the Android Network Ready (ANR) Program , recently launched by the company to strengthen the link between Android and carriers. Black noted that Android allows a vast number of users to access services through a wide range of devices from different providers and price segments, and emphasized that “every user deserves a premium experience regardless of their device or carrier.”
In this regard, he called for “operators’ networks to be technically ready to deliver the best of Android, whether it’s RCS or eSIM transfer,” and stated that, in this context, the Entitlement Server unlocks revenue, new features, and user satisfaction. “The Entitlement Server is an invisible infrastructure. The user doesn’t even know what it is, but when it’s missing, they know there’s a broken experience; they feel its absence,” he asserted.
Motive is helping operators register their networks in the ANR program to access premium Android features. By choosing Motive as their Entitlement Server provider—already certified by Google and Apple for RCS—operators benefit from the company's established relationship with Google and its technical certification throughout the registration process.
Telefónica's Experience Emerging as an Entitlement Server Early Adopter
Daniela De Almeida, Head of Core Platforms, Open Gateway, at Telefónica Corporate , discussed the group's approach to monetizing under this new architecture. “5G introduced service-based architecture (SBA) to scale service exposure and interoperability. The challenge now is to shift the architecture towards recurring revenue through a trusted identity layer. The solution we found was eSIM-based authentication, exposing it to businesses through our Entitlement Server via GSMA Open Gateway and CAMARA APIs,” she explained.
De Almeida mentioned some specific use cases, such as number verification, which replaces SMS-OTP with less friction for the user; eSIM service activation; RCS provisioning; and network slicing. “For eSIM, the industry needed a common language that would address ecosystem fragmentation (multiple devices, operating systems, and carrier integrations), operational scale, security and trust, and interoperability. Operators need to address the conversion from physical SIM to eSIM, eSIM transfer from device to device, activation of new eSIMs, wearables, and service add-ons such as VoLTE, VoWiFi, SMSoIP, and other use cases related to data plans,” he explained.
Another use is RCS provisioning. Telefónica needed to scale its provisioning model to encompass multiple vendors, not just Android devices. The group has already launched RCS provisioning with TS43 for Android and iOS in Brazil, Spain, and Germany, and will soon do so in the United Kingdom as well, De Almeida noted.
Furthermore, Number Verification is already in production and certified at Telefónica in Germany, in production and pending certification in Brazil and Spain, and under development in the United Kingdom.
The era of Entitlement Server-powered networks
At the close of the webinar, Jeevithan Muttu, senior vice president and general manager of Device Management at Motive, stated that there is already a trend towards operators managing not only access, but also identities and trust through devices and services to end users, preventing fraud and increasing security.
“We are reaching the point where we can talk about networks powered by the Entitlement Server. The ES is the foundation for richer services and experiences, and also the anchor for preventing fraud such as SIM fraud, fake provisioning, and other identity misuse. It is also the key to unlocking new revenue streams and identity-based use cases, such as enterprise services and advanced connectivity,” said Muttu.
“The Entitlement Server is a standards-driven product. It is core-agnostic, so it can be integrated with any vendor. When selecting an Entitlement Server, it is advisable to consider the vendor's reliability and roadmap, flexibility and time to market, and scalability and performance,” the Motive executive concluded.
Written with information from Motive