BT Launches Mobile Service

LONDON--BT Group PLC (BT.A.LN) Wednesday said it is has launched its consumer mobile offer, called BT Mobile, as competition in the U.K. wireless telecommunications market hots up.

At 0843 GMT, shares rose 0.6% to 468.3 pence, valuing the company at GBP39 billion ($58 billion).

"Today's launch is more aggressive than many anticipated and underlines BT's aspirations in the multi-play services market," said CCS analyst Paolo Pescatore.

Last month, BT Group PLC said it agreed to buy mobile operator EE for nearly $19 billion in cash and stock, a move that returns it to consumer wireless services after exiting the business more than a decade ago.

The deal followed several weeks of exclusive talks with EE's owners, Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE.XE) of Germany and Orange SA (ORA.FR) of France, and marries the U.K.'s largest fixed-line telecom operator and the country's biggest mobile operator. The combination will allow BT to bundle fixed-line, mobile, broadband and television services.

European telecommunications operators have been looking to push though deals that join up telecom and media services, seen as boosting subscriber revenue and increasing customer loyalty.

 
--Write to Simon Zekaria at [e-mail] (Twitter: @SimonZekaria) 
 

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