Carphone Warehouse has announced the launch of its own mobile network dubbed ‘iD’.
According to Carphone Warehouse, iD is “a new mobile network that is built around what the customer wants and addresses consumer frustrations with current mobile phone plans.”
Launching in May, iD will make use of Three’s existing infrastructure to offer 12-month contracts,4G LTE data and free roaming to customers.
The full list of tariffs hasn’t been announced yet. Notably, the first phone on offer from the network is the Samsung Galaxy A3, available for a limited time for £19.50 with a 12-month 4G plan with 300 minutes, 5,000 texts and 1GB of data.
iD customers will be able to use their normal data plan in 22 countries including Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the USA.
Carphone Warehouse UK’s CEO Graham Stapleton said: “We’ve been listening to our millions of customers’ network requirements and desires for years. In doing so we have identified some common challenges.
“People want greater flexibility from their plans and are fed up with the ‘one size fits all’ approach. In fact, a recent study by Which? found that overspend on mobile phone charges in the UK amounts to £5.42bn each year – showing just how many people aren’t on the right plan for them.
“We are also a generation obsessed with the mobile internet and accessing data and services on the move – things people are either paying too much for or just aren’t getting. Addressing these challenges forms the basis of the first wave of plans from iD.This is just the beginning. We know that there are lots more customer issues and frustrations with existing mobile plans that we’re eager to tackle. We want this network to be focused on the
individual and we will continue to listen to customers over the coming months, asking them to help develop and evolve iD.”
iD will be available to customers via all Carphone Warehouse, Currys and PC World stores, as well as online.