BT to launch own 4G network this week
BT is set to launch its own 4G network this week, marking its return to the consumer mobile sector 13 years after it sold off its mobile business.
The Telegraph reports that the service will be called BT Mobile and is based on a rental agreement to use EE’s network which was signed before BT announced the £12.5bn acquisition of the mobile operator.
In anticipation of the takeover – expected to be finalised by the end of 2015 - BT is expected to offer packages on a SIM-only basis. Following the completion it will acquire EE’s handset business making the move into that space easier.
The 4G packages it will offer are thought to be cheaper than O2, EE and Vodafone but will not be as low-priced as the cheapest bundles from the likes of Giffgaff and Three. They will only be offered only to the company’s 7.6 million broadband subscribers
Sources have said BT will not invest heavily in marketing, instead it will be tied up with its pay-TV packages to offer consumers exclusive content around Champions League and Europa League football.