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BT Mobile

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BT Mobile
Company typeMVNO
IndustryTelecommunications
FoundedMarch 2015
HeadquartersBT Centre
London, EC1
United Kingdom
Area served
United Kingdom
ServicesMobile telephony
OwnerBT Group
Websitewww.bt.com/products/mobile

BT Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) provided by BT Consumer; a division of BT Group in the United Kingdom that was launched in March 2015.[1] It uses the EE network[2] via an MVNO agreement signed in March 2014[3] as well as using the spectrum BT won in the 2013 4G auction.[4][5] EE is now owned by BT following a successful acquisition that was officially completed on 29 January 2016.[6][7] BT Mobile operates alongside BT Business Mobile which is provided by the BT Business and Public Sector division. BT Mobile launched as a SIM-only service and had more than 400,000 customers as of 5 May 2016.[8] BT Mobile stopped accepting new consumer customers in October 2023, as part of plans by the BT Group to make EE the main brand of the consumer business.[9]

Products

SIM-only plans

BT Mobile is a fully fledged mobile service with handsets and sim only offers four 12-month contract plans as of 7 November 2020:

  1. BT Mobile 500MB Plan – 500MB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts
  2. BT Mobile 10GB Plan – 10GB of data, 1000 minutes and unlimited texts
  3. BT Mobile 16GB Plan – 16GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts
  4. BT Mobile 20GB Plan – 20GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts
  5. BT Mobile 30GB Plan – 30GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts
  6. BT Mobile 100GB – 100GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts

Anyone living in a BT Broadband home is eligible for a £5 monthly discount on all BT Mobile plans - each account holder can have up to five discounted plans but there's no limit to the number of people in a house that can take up the offer.[10][11]

Features

TNT Sports

Main article: TNT Sports (United Kingdom)

Subscribers to BT Mobile can watch TNT Sports through the dedicated mobile streaming app. However, watching BT Sport via television still requires a paid subscription.

BT Wi-Fi

Main article: BT Wi-fi

Subscribers to BT Mobile have unlimited access to BT Wi-Fi, regardless of the data allowance in their contract. Connection to BT Wi-Fi can be made through an internet browser or the dedicated BT Wi-Fi application.

BT Mobile App

The BT Mobile app allows subscribers to keep on top of their contract allowance, allowing them to see their minutes, texts and remaining data allowance. The app also shows out-of-contract spending, details of the subscribers' contract and information on data roaming.

Services

Network

BT Mobile offers 4G as standard to all customers at no extra cost and in order to benefit from 4G speeds, a 4G-ready phone is required. However, customers in areas with no 4G coverage or without a 4G-ready phone will still be able to connect via the 3G and 2G networks.[12]

Coverage

As BT Mobile uses the EE network, its 4G network reaches more than 95% of the UK population while its 3G network reaches 98% and 2G network reaches 99%, as of 2016.[13][14]

Extra Speed 4G

On 3 February 2016, BT announced a new add-on service called Extra Speed 4G for BT Mobile customers, allowing them to access even faster upload and download speeds than standard 4G, provided they are in an Extra Speed 4G area. The speeds can reach a maximum of up to 60 Mbit/s and the service costs £4 a month and is a 30-day rolling contract, which means customers won't be tied in for 12 months. The speed will vary on a day-to-day basis and depends on various things such as coverage, distance from the mast, the number of people using the network and the type of 4G phone you have, as well as whether you're indoors or in a densely populated area.[15][16]

Wi-Fi calling

BT introduced Wi-Fi Calling on 29 March 2018, which allows customers to use Wi-Fi to call and text in areas with poor or no signal, and will come out of their monthly minutes and texts allowance or at the normal network rate, with no extra charge. It works on any Apple handset from iPhone 5S onwards and certain Android handsets bought from BT Mobile. For existing customers, BT's 'My BT' and BT Mobile app offer the ability to check phone compatibility. The phone's software must be updated to take benefit of the service, minimum iOS 11.3 or later for Apple handsets.[17][18][19][20][21]

4G calling

BT introduced 4G calling (VoLTE) on 29 March 2018, which allows customers to make calls over 4G and can continue to use 4G data as they talk. It works on any Apple handset from iPhone 6 onwards and certain Android handsets bought from BT Mobile. For existing customers, BT's 'My BT' and BT Mobile app offer the ability to check phone compatibility. The phone's software must be updated to take benefit of the service, with a minimum of iOS 11.3 or later for Apple handsets.[22][23][19][20][21]

Voicemail

BT Mobile automatically diverts all unanswered calls to voicemail. Customers will receive a text from BT when a voicemail is left. It uses the same voicemail code (1571) as BT's fixed lines.[24]

Parental controls

BT Mobile offers free parental controls to limit what a user can access via the internet such as blocking inappropriate content.[25]

Brand transition to EE

In April 2022, BT Group announced plans to turn the EE brand which BT acquired in January 2016, into their main “flagship brand” for their consumer Business. As part of this plan, BT mobile stopped accepting new customers in October 2023, with BT mobile products gradually being withdrawn over this period. Existing customers must transfer to EE to start a new contract, but active customers outside of contract remain on the BT mobile brand at time of writing. The brand will remain operational for business customers.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "BT launches UK's best value 4G mobile data deal as a reward for its BT broadband customers". BT Group PLC. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  2. ^ "BT returns to mobile phone market". BBC News. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  3. ^ "BT and EE confirm UK MVNO agreement". BT Group PLC. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  4. ^ "BT returns to mobile phone market". BBC News. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Ofcom announces winners of the 4G mobile auction". Ofcom. 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  6. ^ "BT Group PLC Completion of the acquisition of EE Limited". 4-traders. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  7. ^ "EE is now part of BT". EE Limited. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  8. ^ Cancian, Dan (5 May 2016). "BT full year revenue climbs to £18.91bn on back of EE acquisition". International Business Times. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  9. ^ a b "EE Becomes BT's Main UK Broadband Brand". ispreview.co.uk. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Am I eligible for the BT Broadband discount?". BT. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  11. ^ "How many BT Mobile plans can I order?". BT. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  12. ^ "What's 4G and can I get it?". BT. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  13. ^ "EE results for the year ended 31 December 2015". EE Limited. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  14. ^ Palmer, Kate (12 February 2016). "EE grows 4G network to 14m as it prepares for shake-up under BT". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  15. ^ Bouckley, Hannah (3 February 2016). "Extra Speed 4G: Discover how BT Mobile's new Add-on can make your phone up to twice as fast". BT. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Will I always get speeds of 60Mbps?". BT. Retrieved 3 February 2016.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^ "Wi-Fi Calling with BT Mobile". BT. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  18. ^ "Learn about Wi-Fi Calling and how to set it up". BT. Retrieved 30 March 2018.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ a b Flash, Oprah (28 March 2018). "BT introduces WiFi and 4G calling for all mobile customers". Cable.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  20. ^ a b Minihane, Joe (28 March 2018). "BT Mobile adds 4G and Wi–Fi calling". uSwitch. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  21. ^ a b Edwards, Luke (4 April 2018). "Wi-Fi and 4G calls just arrived on BT Mobile". TechRadar. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  22. ^ "4G Calling with BT Mobile". BT. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  23. ^ "Learn about 4G Calling". BT. Retrieved 30 March 2018.[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ "BT Mobile - How do I set up voicemail?". BT. Retrieved 30 March 2018.[permanent dead link]
  25. ^ "Can I set up BT Mobile Parental Controls?". BT. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
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