Vodafone confirms UK broadband launch

The company has struck a deal with BT to launch a Vodafone-branded consumer fixed-line service before the end of the year.

Vodafone has confirmed plans to launch a broadband service in the UK, as first revealed in Marketing Week last month (MW August 31).

The company has struck a deal with BT to launch the Vodafone-branded consumer fixed-line service before the end of the year. Nick Read, chief executive of Vodafone UK, described the deal as “a strategically important step in the evolution of Vodafone’s business in the UK”.

The deal will allow the company to offer bundled packages of mobile and broadband services across the country using BT’s nationwide network.

Last month Vodafone global brand chief David Wheldon told Marketing Week that it was planning a broadband service in Germany and other major markets before the end of the year.

Details about pricing or when the service will launch in the UK have yet to be revealed.

The broadband market has become increasingly competitive this year with companies such as Carphone Warehouse and BSkyB launching services to compete with traditional internet access providers such as AOL and Orange.

BT and Vodafone have been working closely since 2004, when they signed an agreement to create a mobile virtual network operator. Vodafone is also BT’s mobile partner for its convergence activities, with the first product being BT Fusion, a fixed-mobile phone service.

Recommended

Assessing the Molton Brown brand

Marketing Week

Each week in association with retail and marketing consultancy Pragma, MarketingWeek.co.uk looks at a high-profile UK brand, assessing its performance against a range of criteria and offering suggestions to improve its overall score. Marks for each section are given out of five stars, while the overall rating is given at the end of the review.

Cash in on a good fit

Marketing Week

Events sponsorship is a good way of getting your brand noticed, but deals should only be agreed with well chosen partners, and as part of a marketing strategy with defined goals. By Martin Croft