Looks like there are more sales of Telefonica assets. Do O2 mobile customers get cheap broadband?

Sounds like they are going to sell it to Sky according to anonymous industry insiders.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01...ion_completes/

Haven't read the story yet (it probably says in it, but...), how many customers do O2 Broadband have?

579,500

No surprise the rumour is being spread by DS's most prolific negative O2 poster.

Given thatTelefonica need to reduce their debts it would not be surprising if they sold some of their non-core businesses.

This particular rumour actually belongs in the Broadband section of the forum as it has no bearing on O2's mobile activities in the UK.

Lol

Oh christ! Here we go again!

I've genuinely no idea how or why you haven't been banned yet.

I hope not, I get a great deal from them, for my mobile and broadband and i get speeds I am very happy with at home.

Wavejock is ok really. We do need someone who is polar opposite to reality

That was a bit of "Banter" Wavejock in case you get offended as you usually do.

I think that this is also relevant in this forum, given that people can currently get O2 broadband cheaper if they are also O2 mobile customers.

I don't understand why Sky would want it, they already had an entire ISP operation (Easynet) and sold off most of it in the last couple of years.

As for spreading the rumour I just posted a link to an article about it. O2 refuse to deny it, the source that told The Register must have been verifiable or known for them to report it and reportedly Sky people have been on site at O2.

I suspected that was the case Stephen that people had some phone and broadband deals. Do they do discounted broadband for O2 phone customers, or packages? It is another sign of the tough times for the company.

Simply buying up customers, that's all. Consolidation of the market.

This has happened with other ISPs too, you already have the support staff in place, you just buy a competitor and integrate it and end up with a lot more customers.

Its also posted on ISP Review:

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php...e-rumours.html

Yes.
I get a broadband discount as i have a o2 mobile.

Very happy with the broadband, and the mobile.
Only dealt with customer services twice over many yrs, as not had any problems.
But service was brill

I wonder what will happen to Be* customers (ran as a hands off part of O2 broadband, providing advanced ADSL solutions). Great little company (well not that little) some of my best ADSL pings and speeds were with them.

Shame they never moved into FTTC/P (which I'm on now.)

BE is a Telefonica company too, and it's effectively the same network so that will almost certainly go with it.

The network itself is Be's - hence (when I last had to use an O2 connection at least) the DNS records and IP ranges were all Be's.

So it would presumably be the part that gets sold.

Yes the network is identical according to wikipedia. Also the wholesale arm of BE has been rebranded O2 now. As it's owned by Telefonica and they are seeking to sell assets left right and centre I would certainly say if O2 broadband goes then BE will go with it in all likelihood.

I'm on a very good legacy, reasonably priced, uncapped, unlimited deal with O2 Broadband and have been since they introduced it a few years back. If they do sell it off, the new owner will probably not honour legacy deals for very long.

If Sky buy it, they'll retain legacy packages for a while as they did with UK Online, then move you over to Sky Broadband. As you've suggested, any other provider would probably do something similar.

What would be in it for Sky ? They like VM & more recently BT normally target the high margin subscription TV business.

Purchasing O2 BB would just get Sky people who are mostly Freeveiw or Freesat users who don't want to pay Sky, VM etc prices.

Sky Broadband with Telephone line is about the same price.. no?

Simple, just a bigger customer base and potentially as they launch FTTC the ability to upsell or cross sell.

Sky is also looking at selling TV services via FTTC in the future as it will be a lot cheaper than satellite bandwidth. In the not too distance future they will have an IPTV business.

They can take advantage of the fact that Telefonica is needing to sell a lot of assets and get hold of BE and O2. This it was then takes them to the the no2 position in the market.

Current Market Share:
Sky 19.2%
Virgin 20.6%
O2 2.8%
BT 29.9%

Shouldnt this be on the Broadband internet forum?

On account of the fact O2 is best known as a mobile company, also that it's part of the ongoing asset sales and links into what is happening to Telefonica / O2 businesses I think it's relevant here too.

Also a lot of O2 customers surely have O2 phone and broadband, so it will potentially affect them.