[Dobbs]

I am not familiar with MVNO but I can read "mobile virtual network operator" and instantly understand what it means by knowing what the individual words mean and putting it together. Expanding MVNO at least once when originally introducing the term helps.

[mikeash]

I am familiar with MVNO, and reading "mobile virtual network operator" would make me stop for a moment to figure out what they were talking about.

When an acronym is in common use, not using it will cause trouble for people who are used to it.

As long as it's something easily googleable, it really doesn't seem like a big deal either way. If you don't know what MVNO stands for, it'll take two seconds to find out. This does not apply for cases where there's lots of different meanings, or the acronym is spelled the same as a common word.

[dnadler]

Hence the common syntax: "mobile virtual network operator (MVNO)"

I really don't see the downside of not expanding it once, unless you're trying to avoid educating people.