The Post Office has revealed plans to launch a mobile phone service later in the year.
The Post Office has announced it intends to launch a new mobile phone service this autumn. The service will use EE’s network, which is the largest in the UK.
The Post Office already offers landline phone and broadband services which serve almost half a million customers. The planned introduction of mobile services comes in the wake of a £640 million investment from the Government last year.
Reaching out to a new market
The Post Office says that the plan comes as part of a larger “ambitious commercial vision to drive growth in its financial and home services businesses.”
Martin George, Chief Commercial Officer of Post Office says that the company’s research shows that people are “seeking greater value, with one in three of those surveyed saying they intended to move away from one of the mainstream providers”.
Established mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) like giffgaff and Shebang offer good SIM-only deals that allow customers to save a lot of money when compared to the mainstream providers that they piggyback on to provide their services.
Could Post Office help save us money further by producing some even more competitive deals? Mr George seems to think so, as he says that over a third of people surveyed said that they’d consider using the company as their mobile provider, a “fantastic vote of confidence” in the brand.
Compare mobile phone deals with Recombu
Introduction of the service
Mobile phone services will first be offered at 50 as-yet unnamed Post Office branches, as well as online and over the phone. Once this phase is complete, the service will be rolled out throughout all Post Office branches.
Post Office has a network of over 11,500 branches, and this physical presence on the high street could potentially help it become a major player in the MVNO market. But first we have to wait and see what deals Post Office offers and whether these will be appealing enough to tempt customers away from the mainstream market.
Compare mobile phone deals with Recombu
Would you consider switching to the Post Office for your mobile bills? How will they fare against the currently popular MVNOs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
More from lovemoney.com
The UK's worst mobile phone provider
The UK's mobile phone theft hotspots
MVNO: cut your mobile phone bill by ditching the big networks
How to call 0800, 0844, 0845 and 0870 numbers free from your mobile