Tesco to go mobile with new service

TESCO and mobile group O2 said yesterday their Irish units would launch a 50:50 joint venture next year to sell Tesco-branded mobile services in Ireland.

The two groups said the joint venture, called Tesco Mobile, would launch next summer, becoming the fifth mobile operator in an already saturated Irish mobile market.

Ireland’s mobile market is ripe for the entry of new operators as it has the highest revenues per user anywhere in Europe. O2 last month reported an average revenue per user (ARPU) figure of €545 a year at its Irish business, compared with €299 in Germany and £272 (€405.47) in Britain.