ASDA Mobile goes 4G under renewed BT deal

(ShareCast News) - Telecommunications provider BT announced an extension to its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement, using its EE network, with Walmart-owned supermarket chain ASDA on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 firm said the new deal will include access to 4G services for the first time, allowing ASDA Mobile customers to enjoy faster speeds on their mobile devices from the spring.It confirmed the agreement is an extension of the previous five-year contract signed by EE, now part of BT Group, in August 2014, and takes the exclusive contract to the end of 2020.BT claimed EE's 4G coverage reached almost three quarters of the UK's landmass, tol extend to 95 per cent of the country by 2020.ASDA Mobile reportedly expected to switch its customers across from 3G to 4G services during the spring."ASDA is delighted to extend our partnership with EE as it allows us to provide faster speeds and easier top ups for our customers," said vice-president of ASDA mobile Richard Phillips."Combined with our award winning customer service and excellent value, ASDA Mobile becomes an even more compelling proposition for our customers."Gerry McQuade, CEO of BT Wholesale & Ventures, said the strength and breadth of the EE 4G mobile network and its ability to provide "excellent levels of customer service" on a fully managed basis made BT the "ideal partner" for ASDA Mobile."We're very proud to have helped them achieve award winning levels of customer service and the move to 4G will only make them a stronger force to be reckoned with in the marketplace."With ASDA stores boasting a footfall of 19 million customers, we have a terrific opportunity to help ASDA Mobile to significantly grow its business and customer base."Under the deal, BT will deliver mobile voice and data services to hundreds of thousands of ASDA Mobile customers on a wholesale basis via its EE 4G mobile network.As well as delivering the underlying mobile infrastructure and services to supply its customers, BT will continue to provide ASDA Mobile will a fully managed customer service solution which includes first and second line call centre services, registrations, top ups, billing services and a full mobile network services portfolio in the UK and when roaming. It said the fully-managed service had allowed ASDA Mobile to achieve award-winning customer service levels over the past year, with the virtual operator earning a Recommended Provider rating from Which?.As part of the new agreement, BT will also for the first time provide ASDA Mobile with an automatic debit facility, which will allow PAYG customers to set up an alert to notify them when their credit is running low and automatically top up their credit by their chosen amount. BT