Carphone Warehouse halves mobile call costs
Pre-paid move challenges new EasyMobile service
Carphone Warehouse has halved the cost of mobile calls and texts on its Fresh pre-paid mobile service.
In a move timed to coincide with the launch of the new low cost EasyMobile service, Fresh is offering a 7.5p rate for all UK calls to any mobile or landline at any time and 2.5p for all texts, delivered through double top ups in store. This is half Fresh’s previous tariffs.
Fresh uses the T-Mobile UK network and offers pay-as-you-go calls and texts. Customers making a Fresh top-up in any Carphone Warehouse store will receive twice the talk time and twice the number of texts. The double top up allocation must be used within 30 days. Charles Dunstone, chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, said: “Carphone Warehouse is making every day, low cost mobile calls a reality for everyone. Fresh has always been price leader. Now we want to make an even bigger difference to our customers’ mobile bills. We are halving them.
[img r]carphonewarehouseadvice.jpg[/img]”And it’s not just about great value. Fresh comes with an expert and personal service. Customers want to talk about the phone and the tariffs that suit them best. That’s what we’re there to help them with – personally.”
Dunstone was clear that the timing of the new tarrif to coincide with the new service form the group built on the succes of EasyJet was no coincidence. He said: “The fact is that the mobile phone business is not an airline business. The price of mobile phones and the price of mobile calling has been falling every year for the 15 years we’ve been in existence. There is a big market for simple, low cost, no frills, everyday calls. We’ve helped create it. We’re the price and service leader. We’ll stay the price and service leader.
“The more people who use Fresh, the more we can sustain our low, low prices and keep this great promotion going.” Carphone Warehouse operates 600 stores and there are currently 120,000 Fresh customers.
[img l]easymobilelogo.jpg[/img]EasyMobile is owned by Danish telecoms operator TDC under a licence agreement with EasyGroup. Like Fresh, it uses the T-Mobile network.
Frank Rasmussen, CEO of EasyMobile.com UK, said: “Rather than giving away mobile telephones, spending our customers money on high street shops, and excessive marketing campaigns, we intend to spend our time and money on providing our customers with competitive everyday tariffs and much better support and customer service than is currently available in the UK market.
