Posted: 20th Jun, 2006 By: MarkJ
Mobile operator O2 (Telefonica) has splashed out £50m on 'Be', a small unbundled (
LLU) broadband ADSL2+ ISP with just 10,000 customers:
Based on ADSL2+, Be's network offers speeds up to 24 meg, and so far it's installed its kit in around 150 BT exchanges and plans to take that number to around 400 (serving half of the UK population) by the end of the year.
O2's plans are less clear-cut. For the moment it's business as usual, but at some point Be will be rebranded as O2. Exactly when remains unclear and O2 doesn't seem to be in too much of a rush.
It's also still too early to say how O2 will bundle its new broadband service - but it's possible by that time consumers will have tired of "free" broadband offers and opt for a more value-for-money approach.The move will come as no surprise to those that have been keeping track of the telecom's industry, although many had expected O2 to target a larger provider.
Regardless, it is presently unclear what this will mean for Be's existing customers. On the bright side, sentences will be easier to write when we dont have to worry about Be and be clashing all the time. More @
The Register.