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| Vodafone to launch home broadband service in UK | Vodafone to launch home broadband service in UK |
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| Vodafone has entered the UK’s fiercely competitive home broadband market, with a service that lets parents turn off Wi-Fi for enforced screen breaks and which supercharges the signal to certain household devices. | Vodafone has entered the UK’s fiercely competitive home broadband market, with a service that lets parents turn off Wi-Fi for enforced screen breaks and which supercharges the signal to certain household devices. |
| The mobile operator already has broadband and pay TV customers in continental Europe, and has been building its own British broadband network, which will reach telephone exchanges that pass 22 million homes later this summer. | |
| The new service, called Vodafone Connect, will launch on a small scale in the next few weeks in Manchester, Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey followed by Essex, Hertfordshire and Yorkshire, but to existing Vodafone mobile customers only. Non-customers will be able to receive broadband later in the year. | The new service, called Vodafone Connect, will launch on a small scale in the next few weeks in Manchester, Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey followed by Essex, Hertfordshire and Yorkshire, but to existing Vodafone mobile customers only. Non-customers will be able to receive broadband later in the year. |
| Vodafone Connect will come with a router and an app that can be used to control the service. It will launch with a feature that will supercharge the internet connection to one device for up to two hours. With most households connecting multiple devices at the same time, the feature is designed to overcome the challenge of reliably streaming or downloading video over heavily used Wi-Fi. | Vodafone Connect will come with a router and an app that can be used to control the service. It will launch with a feature that will supercharge the internet connection to one device for up to two hours. With most households connecting multiple devices at the same time, the feature is designed to overcome the challenge of reliably streaming or downloading video over heavily used Wi-Fi. |
| Another feature will focus the Wi-Fi signal to compatible devices wherever they are in the home, including rooms where the signal tends to be weak. Parents will also be able to shut down the Wi-Fi at certain times for enforced screen breaks. The service promises guests can be signed on to the home network with one click, rather than typing in a long password. | Another feature will focus the Wi-Fi signal to compatible devices wherever they are in the home, including rooms where the signal tends to be weak. Parents will also be able to shut down the Wi-Fi at certain times for enforced screen breaks. The service promises guests can be signed on to the home network with one click, rather than typing in a long password. |
| Cindy Rose, consumer director at Vodafone, said: “This is an ambitious launch for us in an already crowded market so we knew we needed to do something really unique.” | Cindy Rose, consumer director at Vodafone, said: “This is an ambitious launch for us in an already crowded market so we knew we needed to do something really unique.” |
| There will be three speeds, 17 megabits per second, 38Mbps and 76Mbps, costing £10, £20 and £25 a month, with discounts for existing mobile customers, plus line rental of £17. | |
| Paolo Pescatore at analysis firm CCS Insight said: “I was important for Vodafone to bring something different to the market – and it has done that. The service is novel and heavily focused on the customer experience. Unlike others, Vodafone owns an extensive cable network and this puts it in a far stronger position.” | Paolo Pescatore at analysis firm CCS Insight said: “I was important for Vodafone to bring something different to the market – and it has done that. The service is novel and heavily focused on the customer experience. Unlike others, Vodafone owns an extensive cable network and this puts it in a far stronger position.” |
| Vodafone acquired Cable and Wireless Worldwide three years ago and has been plugging its network, which was designed to serve corporate customers, into BT exchanges to create a home broadband grid, which will then rely on these lines to reach homes. | |
| The move into broadband is due to be followed by a pay TV offering by April 2016, but comes at an uncertain time for Vodafone. The mobile group is in negotiations to swap assets with cable company Liberty Global in a deal that could see Vodafone exit the UK or enlarge its business there with the acquisition of Liberty’s Virgin Media operation. | |
| Vodafone UK boss Jeroen Hoencamp said: “An ordinary consumer will look at this proposition and think this is really interesting, it’s a rich proposition for a very attractive price. I don’t think a general customer will look at this in light of strategic developments in the market.” | Vodafone UK boss Jeroen Hoencamp said: “An ordinary consumer will look at this proposition and think this is really interesting, it’s a rich proposition for a very attractive price. I don’t think a general customer will look at this in light of strategic developments in the market.” |