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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Vodafone makes UK broadband move | Vodafone makes UK broadband move |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Mobile phone operator Vodafone has said it is to enter the UK fixed-line broadband market after striking a deal to use infrastructure from BT. | Mobile phone operator Vodafone has said it is to enter the UK fixed-line broadband market after striking a deal to use infrastructure from BT. |
| The contract means Vodafone does not have to invest in a fixed-line network of its own. | The contract means Vodafone does not have to invest in a fixed-line network of its own. |
| Vodafone said it hoped to launch the new service before the end of the year. | Vodafone said it hoped to launch the new service before the end of the year. |
| It said the move would enable its customers to benefit from bundled packages of mobile and broadband services nationwide. | It said the move would enable its customers to benefit from bundled packages of mobile and broadband services nationwide. |
| Busy market | Busy market |
| Vodafone said it hoped to offer a higher quality of service to customers. | |
| Tim Yates, director of Vodafone's consumer unit, told the BBC that extensive research had pointed to strong consumer demand for better technical support for broadband connections. | |
| He said Vodafone was developing its own support service in co-operation with BT, but refused to be drawn on details of the service. | |
| A number of other mobile operators have begun offering bundled packages of services to their customers. | A number of other mobile operators have begun offering bundled packages of services to their customers. |
| Both Carphone Warehouse and BSkyB have announced cut-price broadband packages. | Both Carphone Warehouse and BSkyB have announced cut-price broadband packages. |
| But surviving in this marketplace is a challenge. Stiff competition in the sector prompted the UK's second-largest telecoms group, Cable & Wireless, to leave the retail broadband market recently. | But surviving in this marketplace is a challenge. Stiff competition in the sector prompted the UK's second-largest telecoms group, Cable & Wireless, to leave the retail broadband market recently. |