Distributor adds customisable airtime packages from Cheltenham-based Total to provide “complete ecosystem” for partners
Tech Data Mobile has entered the B2B airtime market after striking a strategic partnership with O2 wholesale provider Total Communications.
The distributor will provide its 800 mobile and 13,800 reseller partners with a full-range of flexible airtime packages provided by Cheltenham-based Total.
Tech Data Mobile MD Peter Hubbard had exclusively told Mobile News of its plans to enter the airtime market at Mobile World Congress in March, and was believed to have been in discussions with numerous providers, including Plan.com.
2013 O2 Wholesale Partner of the Year Total has now been confirmed as that provider, with Tech Data promising to provide a “complete services ecosystem” for resellers, including trade-in and buyback schemes, finance and leasing, and insurance options.
Tech Data business development and services director Simon Smale said: “The market is maturing fast and smartphones are increasingly being used as fully-integrated business tools as well as personal devices.
“‘Mobile’ has now evolved to ‘mobility’; more IT resellers are becoming involved in the market and looking at where they can add value; mobile phone dealers and retailers meanwhile, are looking for ways to extend their portfolio, differentiate from their competitors and drive incremental revenues and profits.
“Our services ecosystem is designed to meet these challenges head-on. We have worked hard to find the right partners in key areas and we believe we now have a market-leading set of options that will enable our customers to plot a very clear and progressive business development pathway.”
Th news comes less than a week after Tech Data was announced as one of the partners retained as part of the Samsung handset distribution tender.
Accoridng to Mobile News sources, the firm has also been appointed as one of the first UK B2B distributors of the Apple iPhone, along with Ingram Micro Mobility and Westcoast.
