LONDON-U.K. fixed-line carrier British Telecommunications plc launched a mobile virtual network operator service for the corporate market, dumping its former wireless subsidiary MmO2 for rival carrier Vodafone U.K. as the wireless service supplier.
BT Mobile, which has plans for a fully converged fixed and mobile service, said the new enterprise mobile offerings include a virtual private network, conference on demand and tariffs targeted at large and small businesses. All business customers will be account-managed solely by BT, which will be responsible for all marketing, branding, billing and customer service.
BT Mobile said it will extend its service to the consumer market in January.
“Today’s announcement is another important step in our goal to generate around £1 billion ($1.9 billion) of annual mobility and convergence revenues in five years,” said Steve Andrews, BT Group chief of mobility and convergence. “The United Kingdom will deliver a significant portion of that revenue, and the establishment of our new partnership with Vodafone U.K., who share our vision of converged services, is an important element in delivering this growth. Our relationship with Vodafone U.K. goes way beyond the normal service provision deals and we are uniquely placed to offer business customers real converged solutions as our plan develops.”
As of Sept. 30, BT had 305,000 business and consumer contract customers.
