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Vodafone Connect: Is this Voda’s new broadband, TV and phone service?

Vodafone has launched a registration page for Connect, thought to be the name of its forthcoming broadband, TV and home phone service. 

Details on the service are scarce, but it’s expected that Vodafone, like many UK ISPs, will offer ADSL2+ and FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet)-based services to home and small business customers. 

The registration page for Vodafone Connect asks customers for information on their current broadband and provider. There’s no text entry field for ‘TV Provider’, which suggests that Vodafone might not be launching a TV alongside broadband and home phone. 

Rumours persisted that Vodafone had considered a merger or an MVNO deal with Sky – similar to the O2 deal with TalkTalk, or BT’s takeover of EE. Now that Sky has named O2 as its network partner for Sky Mobile (due to launch in 2016) that seems less likely. 

Will Vodafone bundle Now TV with Vodafone Connect?That said, Sky and Vodafone currently have a commercial agreement which sees Vodafone pay monthly customers able to get things like Now TV Entertainment passes bundled in for free with 24 month contracts

It’s possible that such an offer could be extended to Vodafone Connect customers, but that wouldn’t necessarily make Vodafone a TV provider, in the strictest sense. 

Vodafone first launched a fixed-line broadband service back in 2007, but opted to bow out just five years later, selling the service to BT-owned Plusnet. 

Shortly after, Vodafone acquired Cable & Wireless for just over £1 billion. The acquisition came with a 20,500km fibre optic network, which was initially earmarked for supporting Vodafone’s mobile network. It’s thought that this asset will be used to support a service putting ‘VDSL like’ broadband within reach of over 50 per cent of UK premises.  

Vodafone Connect is due to launch this Spring, but no solid launch date has been announced so far. 

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