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The Co-operative Group launches its own prepaid mobile phone service in the UK
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The Co-operative Group launches its own prepaid mobile phone service in the UK

Mark

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The Co-operative Group is launching its own-brand ‘pay as you go’ SIM card, which will be available from more than 3,800 stores across the UK. SIM cards will also be available online via payg.thephone.coop.

This new virtual network is being launched in partnership with The Phone Co-op, which is also a mutually-owned organisation, and is hosted on the EE network.

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UK calls cost from 8p per minute, with SMS text messages 4p each and data costing 5p per MB. International rates are from 2p per minute. Calls aren’t rounded up to the nearest minute but are charged at a minimum of 1p.

Steve Murrells, Chief Executive of Retail at The Co-operative Group, said “It is a major milestone for The Co-operative Group to be entering the telecoms sector with its own branded products. We believe that by working with The Phone Co-op we are able to offer one of the most competitive and straightforward mobile pay as you go SIM card packages in the market. It’s a genuine own-brand co-operative product, fair and simple, with no strings attached.”

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The Fonecast

The Phone Co-op has pointed out that it, rather than The Co-operative Group, is running the MVNO. The Co-operative Group is providing its brand (under licence) for the service and also provides retail distribution for the SIM cards. Although The Phone Co-op has been offering 'Co-operative' branded services since 2012, this is the first pay as you go service under the Co-operative brand - and the first time the own-brand SIM cards have been sold in Co-operative Group shops.

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