IKEA LAUNCHES MOBILE SERVICE

Ikea will launch its Family Mobile service on Friday (August 8), an MVNO running off the T-Mobile network.

Under an agreement with Mobile Partners UK Ltd, the operator is providing Ikea with prepay services that will be available to Ikea Family loyalty members in the UK.

The company said that Ikea has positioned the SIM card package as the UK’s lowest priced prepay service. It will offer 9p per minute calls and 6p per text message sent.

Ikea Family members will only pay for the airtime they use with no fixed monthly payments and no minimum spend beyond an initial £10 of airtime purchased. Customers can keep their existing mobile number and choose to have a household account with a number of SIM cards, allocating spend between registered members.

The Family Mobile package consists of a SIM card that can be ordered free from www.familymobile.co.uk. Ikea Family members will not be able to purchase phones from Ikea stores, but will be able to purchase them through Mobile Partners UK Ltd.

Last Tuesday (August 5) Ikea presented all 9,500 of its employees in the UK with a special introduction to the package by giving them a mobile phone with a free Family Mobile SIM card and £5 of pre-loaded credit.

T-Mobile UK chief executive Jim Hyde (pictured) said: “Our long experience in delivering white label services to MVNO partners and the independently assessed superiority of our network will ensure Ikea realises its ambitions to offer an exceptional value prepay service to members of its loyalty programme.”

Ikea UK C.R.M. manager Jason Baker said: “In the current climate where every penny counts, Ikea is offering another benefit to our loyal customers. You can’t control the rising costs of petrol, utility bills or food but by being at least 25 per cent cheaper than any other comparable pay-as-you-go offer, Family Mobile can help you take control of your mobile phone costs.”