In line with the likes of Vodafone broadband, it has been announced that O2 broadband will be available on a variety of Samsung laptops as the relationship between mobile broadband providers and laptop manufacturers becomes ever closer. Initially the deal will see O2 mobile broadband available on the Samsung NC10 and two versions of the Samsung R510.
In what seems to be the norm in the mobile broadband market, the laptops will be available free of charge to customers who sign up for the relevant O2 broadband package which currently costs £29.38 and comes with 3 GB of data allowance and 300 O2 to O2 texts per month. We are seeing the ongoing convergence of mobile broadband services, mobile phone services and the laptop manufacturers as customers demand more and more reliability and a variation of services.
While it would appear to be the mobile broadband operates who are leading the way, these ongoing relationships also offer a great benefit to laptop manufacturers who are looking for a new angle to push their products to the top of the consumer market. As we have mentioned on a number of occasions, there would appear to be the potential for greater co-operation between the two sectors which should induce significant pricing pressure to the benefit of the UK broadband consumer.