Return to the Communications Week International WWW page From CommunicationsWeek International . CWI is part of Emap Media, a subsidiary of Emap Business Communications, one of the United Kingdom's leading publishers. The largest ever deal between a consumer retailer and a carrier was struck earlier this month, giving greater legitimacy to the sale of communications services through non-traditional organizations. The deal also covers sales via European mobile service provider Debitel, the joint venture between Metro and Daimler Benz.
Many carriers are simply focused on building a network.
This is one way of doing it. The retailer's customer database and credit profiling information will be valuable tools for the carrier, cutting a variety of its operational costs and risks in expanding its customer base. And with this Metro investment, the commitment is there to really make this work. However, Williams conceded that branding has yet to be decided and is the subject of a cross-company working group. He suggested, however, that branding may follow the pattern used when RSL acquired Sprint's network and customers in France and Germany.