Tesco Mobile, the Tesco/O2 joint venture, has revealed that it has notched up 2.5m customers, after experiencing its best ever Christmas sales. Tens of thousands of Tesco Mobile handsets were activated on Christmas Day with the iPhone proving the most popular Christmas gift for customers. The network experienced double digit airtime growth in every quarter of 2010 as it attracted new customer types through new service and product offerings. 

Tesco Mobile is still the only network to offer the iPhone on a 12-month contract for customers, and now has a comprehensive selection of smartphones in its range, including the iPhone 4 and the latest Blackberrys. It grew both its Pay as you go and contract base in every quarter of 2010, and recorded overall customer growth of 25 per cent during the year.

The network’s growth has been fuelled, in part, by the roll out of Tesco Phone Shops. There are now almost 200 Phone Shops in Tesco stores across the UK, and the company recently launched its first standalone Phone Shop in Bristol. There are also Tesco Phone Shops in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Turkey and S. Korea.

“Tesco Mobile is well on its way to becoming the number one MVNO in the UK,” says CEO, Lance Batchelor. “It is continuing to grow its Pay as you go and Pay Monthly base in a declining market space, which highlights the network’s appeal to our mobile-savvy nation.We have a unique position in the mobile marketplace, because we are able to reward customers in hundreds of ways through Clubcard. We’re focused on giving consumers real and valuable rewards that encourage their loyalty and help them get the best value from their provider.”