UK B2B player Virgin Media Business has launched a mobile service for its public and private sector customers piggybacking on UK mobile operator EE’s LTE network.

The service, Virgin Media Business’ first ever mobile offering,reduces cost by integrating fixed and mobile communications, according to the firm. Using EE’s network, it will offer superfast speeds to over 60 per cent of the UK.

The business-grade 4G service will be offered as part of Virgin Media Business’ complete range of telecoms services. New and existing customers will have the opportunity to integrate their fixed and mobile communications through one supplier, rather than having to manage a different provider for each service. According to Virgin Media Business, this saves organisations money, time and complexity.

The service includes features such as mobile email services; the ability to connect your desk phone and mobile seamlessly; online portals for support and billing; and telephone support for users and customer administrators. It is available on leading 4G handsets, including Windows, Android and BlackBerry devices. The service is also available in 3G on EE’s network.

“We’re simplifying things for our customers by being the single supplier for all their telecoms needs,” said Duncan Higgins, director of products and marketing at Virgin Media Business.

He added that EE’s 4G experience over the past ten months illustrates the benefits of the technology; users can get more done, work flexibly and bring their professional applications together on a single device.

“CIOs up and down the country have told us they believe mobile communications will be essential for the future of their organisation, but they also need a base of operations,” added Higgins. “In response, our new service builds on our existing connectivity, convergence and collaboration services while enabling businesses to give staff safe, secure mobile access to the tools and data they need.”

Shailendra Pandey, senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media, said that he believes Virgin Media Business has chosen “the best partner in EE” to launch its first mobile service for public and private sector organisations.

“EE’s leading position in 4G network coverage in the UK will be a strong differentiator and significantly strengthen Virgin Media Business’ business services portfolio. Most organisations are looking for services that can increase productivity of their employees by ensuring they are able to communicate using both voice and data services, and are able to do so while being increasingly mobile,” he said. “Having a single supplier can help businesses in achieving operational cost savings, and is also more convenient to have a single point of contact for billing and support.”

Pauline Trotter, principal analyst at Ovum, added: “Companies are increasingly looking for a service provider that can help them build mobility throughout their organisations so that they can implement more flexible working, bring efficiencies into their field organisations and extend applications to mobile devices.”

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