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Outage-prone Plusnet goes mobile in a bid to become 'quad-play' biz

Hitches ride on BT's EE network – but can they do it better than they do broadband?

Outage-prone Plusnet is bringing its service to mobile phones, making use of parent company BT's EE network gobble earlier this year.

As of 29 November, Plusnet Mobile will become the newest mobile provider in Blighty, the company said in a statement.

The biz is joining forces with mobile network LIFE Mobile, part of the EE business acquired by BT for £12.5bn.

Chief exec Andy Baker said the move will turn the outfit into a "quad-play" business – the supposed holy quaternity of broadband, line rental, TV, and mobile that all operators are keen to be seen as offering.

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said the offer of 4G for less than £15 per month space will "put the cat among its competitors – especially in light of Virgin Mobile's recent transition to 4G".

He added: "As expected at this price point, this is a no frills offering without the bells and whistles of its higher priced contemporaries. LIFE Mobile customers will feel the benefit of moving onto EE's extensive 4G network, but, of course, it's vital that the transition of these customers to Plusnet is as smooth as possible."

However, Plusnet does not exactly have the best track record in providing hassle-free connectivity to customers.

BT and Plusnet once again topped Ofcom's most recent quarterly whinge list for the most moaned-about fixed-line broadband providers.

In September ongoing technical problems at Plusnet left customers unable to stream videos or play games. Plusnet also encountered packet-loss problems that month.

And customers complained of fresh packet loss earlier this month. One got in touch to say: "As a Plusnet customer, like may others, I continue to to suffer from regular packet loss on my Plusnet Broadband. This is frustrating when using Skype and when online gaming among other things." ®

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