Satellite broadcaster and media corporation Sky is set to expand its offerings by entering into the mobile market on a spooky day in the very near future. In fact, those who are extra excited about its offerings can pre-order one of its smartphone contracts as soon as October 31.
This will of course be something that is exclusive to Sky customers to start with, with the most loyal getting the first chance to become part of the new venture. However, for now, we don’t know anything about what sort of deals will be on offer or how competitive we can expect them to be.
Presumably as a new venture Sky will be looking to offer something very affordable, perhaps taking advantage of existing Sky subscriptions to augment the package. It’s possible that much like Amazon and its various Prime services, Sky will use mobile contracts as a way to encourage Sky cable/satellite TV packages and vice versa.
The firm will also look to be competitive in the non-subscriber space, with plans to open up orders to people who don’t currently pay for Sky services, post launch. Although we don’t know for sure, Broadband Choices estimates an early 2017 debut.
As it points out, Sky’s plans to move into the mobile market have been brewing for some time now. It initially made a deal with Telefónica U.K. (O2) to license its network for the new Sky mobile customers. While it will be unlikely to join the big three mobile operators in the U.K., it could act as a disruptor, much in the way it has done with other ventures, such as internet packages.
Though not as large as the others, Sky is become one of the more versatile firms in this space. When its mobile network launches it will offer TV, internet, fixed line, and mobile telephone communications. That means it can begin offering big, all-in service packages for its customers.
