PRAGUE, March 14 (Reuters) - British retailer Tesco and Telefonica Czech Republic will launch amobile phone service in the central European country, thecompanies said on Thursday.
Tesco Mobile will use Telefonica's existing telecomsinfrastructure and Tesco's 232 stores across the country.
The two companies already have a joint venture in Britainwhere they serve 3 million clients, they said in a statement.
Tesco Mobile will widen the offering of telecoms servicesdominated by Telefonica, T-Mobile and Vodafone but will also help defend Telefonica's market shareagainst the expected arrival of more 'virtual' mobile operators.
Virtual operators rent infrastructure from existing networksbut their entry to the Czech market has been slowed by theunwillingness of incumbents to let competitors in.