Sky enters quad-play market with Telefónica UK partnership
Sky is to open up mobile package deals to its customers in partnership with Telefónica UK.
The multi-year deal will grant Sky customers wholesale access to 02’s 2G, 3G and 4G services, with the first mobile deals set to launch in 2016.
The move will see Sky enter the market as a quad-play telecom firm, expanding its mobile carrier settings to Sky Go - Europe's leading mobile TV service with 5.7 million registered users.
Jeremy Darroch, group chief executive of Sky, said: “As the UK’s leading brand for home entertainment and communications, Sky has a proven ability to launch new services, at scale. We know our 11.5 million customers trust Sky to offer them the best quality and choice and have an appetite to take more from us.
“Through our partnership with Telefónica UK, we can build on our expertise in content, innovation and service to launch a range of exciting new services and exploit the opportunities for growth in the fast-changing mobile sector.”
Ronan Dunne, chief executive of Telefónica UK, added: “We’re pleased to welcome Sky to our roster of innovative, successful partnerships, through which we help partners grow their offer to customers. Sky understands the importance of a strong network and excellent customer experience and has made us a trusted partner to help deliver brilliant services.
“This will widen consumer choice still further and demonstrates the lively competitiveness of the UK market.
The Sky partnership comes as Hutchison Whampoa, operator of the Three network, is courting a £10.25bn bid for Telefónica UK subsidiary O2.