Sainsbury’s partners with Vodafone to launch mobile service
‘Mobile by Sainsbury’s’ will be run as a joint venture by the operator and the supermarket chain
Retailers
July 1, 2013
The MVNO will from tomorrow offer the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 on a range of sub-£20 tariffs
Carphone Warehouse MVNO Talkmobile said it aims to double its contract customer base to one million by April 2014 by increasing its range of sub-£20 tariffs.
The company is set to launch several new tariffs tomorrow as it hopes to capitalise on what it says is “significant growth” in the £20 and under mobile contract market. It will also offer the iPhone for the first time.
These will include £17.50 for an iPhone with 150 minutes, 5,000 texts and 200Mbs of data. Upfront costs will vary according to model, with the iPhone 4 costing £49, iPhone 4S £149 and iPhone 5 £229 on the £17.50 plan.
For £20, customers can get the iPhone 4 with no upfront cost and 250 minutes, 5,000 texts and 500Mbs of data.
Four other tariffs will be launched, including one costing £23 that offers 500 minutes, 5,000 texts and 500Mbs of data, with the iPhone 4 free on this plan. The iPhone 4S and 5 cost £69 and £189 respectively on this plan.
On the most expensive, £30 plan (250 minutes, 5,000 texts and 500Mbs), the iPhone 4S is free and the iPhone 5 costs £29.
Talkmobile said high-priced monthly tariffs are putting people off buying a smartphone. According to Ofcom, 42 per cent of the UK population are yet to adopt the latest technology.
In a statement on the news, Talkmobile said it has increased its UK contract customer base by over 200 per cent in the last 12 months, to more than 500,000.
It said a number of these customers had been converted from prepay plans.
Talkmobile managing director Aman Bhachu said: “As a business, we’re committed to giving customers choice, making high-value smartphones affordable so everyone can benefit from the latest technology – something our customers are asking for. Our new suite of deals will get the latest mobile technology into the hands of our customers without breaking the bank.”