BT has outstripped rivals Virgin Media, Carphone Warehouse and Sky in the race to grab British broadband customers over the last three months, attracting almost twice as many new customers as its third-placed rival TalkTalk, and once again reinforcing its position in the marketplace.
In the three months to the end of September, BT added 178,000 new broadband customers taking its base well over 4 million, while TalkTalk added just 89,000 – raising its total to 2.5 million – whilst Sky were busy trumpeting the connection of their millionth customer toward the end of October.
Word on the street is that Carphone Warehouse have reached breaking point in terms of the number of customers they can connect on their own unbundled lines, and with customers less likely to fork out for the additional charges that come with non-LLU connections, it looks as though further LLU purchases will be required if Charles Dunstone’s group want to maintain their position.
Carphone Warehouse have spent a significant amount of money on expanding into the US market via a deal secured with retail chain Best Buy – if the investment pays off, it could see CW becoming a major player in world markets.
Today also marks the launch of Apple’s iPhone in the UK – Carphone Warehouse have the rights to sell the highly desirable smartphone in the high street and online, so after Christmas, will have some extra pennies to spend. Mr. Dunstone subtly hinted at expected profits from iPhone sales in the following statement: “We expect a good second half in the retail business, with new product launches and the rising interest in mobile data services driving consumer demand.” Carphone Warehouse has reportedly upped its interim dividend payout by 25%.
Of course, if the iPhone performs well, then this also means that O2’s coffers will be fresh with customer pennies, meaning that there will be plenty of scope for extending the Be Broadband network, making the very attractive combination of discounted ADSL2+ O2 Broadband along with an iPhone contract available to more than the 50% of the population currently covered.
If the iPhone does for the smartphone world what the iPod did for portable music players, then the market could see a sharp rise in the take-up of O2 Broadband, which could potentially shake up the dominance of the Broadband G6.
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Jenny Frost said on 20 Nov 2007 at 9:46 am #
I got my iPhone yesterday, and it’s amazing! Everything looks and works beautifully. I’ve not heard anything about an O2 Broadband and iPhone deal though.
If I get O2 Broadband at home, does that mean I can use the wireless box to browse on my iPhone for free?
BTW I can’t get O2 Broadband at the moment, just speaking hypothetically…
-Jen
Jane said on 18 Dec 2007 at 1:47 pm #
BT Broadband may be okay and market leader but don’t touch it if you have a Mac - BT don’t recognise that they exist. The helpline keeps you hanging on forever and you cannot speak to the Mac support, it seems. None of my problems in sending email have been resolved. I now find I have one in receiving emails. The problem is erratic. BT used to have very helpful support but they have changed.
Tom Green said on 19 Dec 2007 at 10:23 am #
I have to say Jane, as a fellow Mac user, this is a problem that we unfortunately have to live with. That’s the trade-off of buying a superior machine! The sad truth is that support for Apple machines just isn’t as great as it is for Windows PCs. It’s a perpetual cross for us Mac users to bear!
Are you using an Ethernet router or are you going through USB? I’d recommend getting an Ethernet connection if your router is stationed next to your computer - not as convenient as a Wi-Fi connection, but is far more robust and less prone to signal issues, leakage etc.
I daresay the problem isn’t exclusively a BT one, most providers I’ve been with have next to no support for Mac clients either.