Tiscali mulls 'quad play', drops HomeChoice brand

Major mobile phone companies have refused to reveal whether or not Tiscali has approached them in its effort to supply a 'quadruple play' service.

Earlier this week, the Italian internet service (ISP) provider merged with Video Networks, the UK owner of pioneering video-on-demand service HomeChoice, in a £60m deal that will allow Tiscali to offer British customers a 'triple play' of broadband, telephone and television services.

It is understood that the ISP is now looking to add mobile telephony to its offering, enabling a 'quad play' bundle, and the company is believed to have been in talks with four of the UK's five mobile phone networks: O2, Vodafone, 3 and T-Mobile.

However, according to a report in The Times, Vodafone has denied any involvement with Tiscali, while a spokesperson for 3 told the newspaper that it did not "comment on market speculation and rumour".

Nevertheless, Tiscali UK chief executive Mary Turner told the national daily: "We are talking to mobile players [including] Vodafone and 3, and we exploring our options".

Meanwhile, the internet company is likely to drop the HomeChoice brand or 'downgrade' its significance, as the business begins a review of its branding and advertising. Should the name not be axed altogether, it will be reduced, used only as an addendum to Tiscali's main brand, appearing in a phrase such as "featuring HomeChoice technology".

The embattled video-on-demand service, which pioneered TV over the internet in the early 1990s, is considered by its new owner as being too regional—it is only available in London and Stevenage—and far less well-known than the Tiscali name.

Lovelace Consulting  |  16.08.2006

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