Original article Total Telecom:Read More
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Octopus Group, the investment group behind Octopus Energy, is preparing to make its move into the UK mobile market, The Telegraph reported over the weekend.
According to the article, the company is exploring plans to launch a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that could challenge the dominance of the UK’s current biggest four operators, EE, Virgin Media O2, Vodafone, and Three.
Octopus’s mobile service would operate by leasing capacity from an existing network, instead of investing in its own infrastructure. Sources speaking to The Telegraph indicated that discussions have taken place via Fern Trading, Octopus’s telecoms investment arm, with at least one major network operator. The project appears linked to Y Corporation, a mobile provider owned by Fern Trading, which currently has a wholesale agreement with Three.
Y Corporation is reportedly considering an eSIM-only model targeting both enterprise and consumer markets. Adam Dunlop, former head of TalkTalk’s consumer division, was appointed to drive the mobile expansion earlier back in January.
The mobile push follows Octopus Energy’s success in the utilities sector, where it now supplies over 13 million customers, and has overtaken British Gas to become the UK’s largest household energy supplier.
A new mobile service under the Octopus brand would complement the group’s growing telecoms footprint, which includes broadband providers such as Cuckoo and AllPoints Fibre. Fern Trading recently announced plans to merge several of its altnets into a single entity to strengthen its market position ahead of expected industry consolidation.
The move comes at a key time for the UK’s mobile sector, with Vodafone and Three’s £15 billion merger set to reshape the market landscape. Should Y Corporation continue its partnership with Three post-merger, it would gain access to the UK’s largest mobile network.
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