VodafoneThree Launches TV and Guaranteed-Speed Mobile Services in UK
VodafoneThree Expands Offerings to Compete in the UK Market
LONDON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Mobile operator VodafoneThree launched its own TV service in Britain on Thursday, filling a gap in its broadband offer to better compete with rivals Sky, Virgin Media and BT. It also launched a premium mobile offer with guaranteed faster speeds.
Vodafone TV Service Details
• Vodafone TV will include streaming apps Netflix and HBO Max, linear and on-demand content from broadcasters like the BBC and ITV, more than 300 games and thousands of apps, the company said.
SuperMobile: Premium Mobile Offer
Speed and Coverage Features
• Vodafone's "SuperMobile" product offers up to four times faster speeds and a guaranteed minimum download speed of 15 Mbps when customers are in 5G+ coverage.
Network Technology
• It utilises a dedicated "FastTrack" in Vodafone's 5G+ network, which partitions or "slices" a chunk of the network and prioritises users' data traffic.
Pricing and Availability
• It will be available to pay monthly customers for an extra £3 ($4.05) a month on top of its full-speed Xtra plans.
Business Solutions
• It is also launching a tandem "SuperMobile" service for business, which it said was anchored by Britain's first national business-only mobile network slice.
Industry Context and Competition
• Rival EE, owned by BT, launched its own "Fast Lane" product using a dedicated network slice last month.
• Vodafone pledged to invest £11 billion in its British network when it merged with Hutchison's Three in 2025.
Executive and Analyst Commentary
• Vodafone CEO Max Taylor said: "Vodafone SuperMobile is tangible evidence of what the Vodafone and Three merger makes possible: better connectivity and real choice for customers."
• CCS Insight analyst Kester Mann said: "The option to access a superior connectivity service in places where heavy demand can significantly impact network performance addresses a major customer pain point."
Additional Information
($1 = 0.7410 pounds)
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Susan Fenton)
