Azzurri CEO: Selling only O2 was limiting customer choice

Comms integrator ends mobile monogamy with EE resell deal

Azzurri Communications has inked a reseller agreement with EE that will see it end its long-standing monogamous relationship with O2 around mobile.

Under the partnership, the comms integrator will now sell EE alongside O2 in the enterprise space to give its customers a choice of mobile operators.

It will also now lead on EE in the small business space after agreeing to offload its small business customers on O2 contracts to O2.

Azzurri first became a top-tier O2 partner in 2007 but Azzurri chief executive Chris Jagusz told CRN that backing only one horse in the mobile market contradicted his firm's goal of offering a choice of solutions across all its major product lines.

"We have always worked with one provider for mobile: O2. So when the opportunity arose to work with EE we were very happy to take it," Jagusz (pictured) explained.

"It also means that we have the UK's largest and fastest-growing 4G network on board so are now in a position in both our mobile and unified communications business that we can offer customers a choice of solution that suits them best."

Jagusz, who was handed the CEO role last summer, said its decision to port its O2 small business customers to O2 would allow Azzurri to focus on growing its small business customer base with EE.

"With O2, a lot of that relationship had been about servicing customers on behalf of O2," he explained.

"Over the years, we have managed some O2 customers on their behalf and have also acquired new small business customers for them. Those customers will be moving under O2's direct management. It is a very small change for those customers, as they were always billed by O2. It just means they will have different contact points for service and sales."

O2 will explain how that process works to affected customers in the coming weeks, Jagusz indicated.

In a statement, EE director Mike Tomlinson said: "We are committed to working with the indirect B2B channel, and to becoming the operator of choice for business. This agreement further demonstrates our ambition in the business market."

Jagusz said Azzurri was unlikely to make any radical strategy changes under his direction.

He said: "We are very clear in our market position in servicing the needs of mid-sized and corporate businesses with UC requirements – typically multi-sited business or public sector customers who need to communicate to their customers or employees. It's really about the continuation of the prior direction."