BT is to launch its own mobile phone service along with free access to Premier League football on the go starting at £5 a month . The move has been welcomed by consumer groups as the telecoms giant attempts to spread its empire from home telephone , internet and pay TV into mobile phones . This so-called ‘ quad play ’ service is seen as key by the likes of BT and its rivals Sky , Virgin and TalkTalk to future growth and profits . BT is to launch its own mobile phone service along with free access to Premier League football . BT hopes that it will be able to sign up millions of households to packages that include the four services to cement its place as Britain ’ s dominant media company in the 21st century . The company ’ s move comes ahead of its purchase of the UK ’ s largest mobile phone network EE in a deal worth £12.5billion . It has unveiled three SIM card deals , where customers buy a SIM and simply fit it to their existing handset in order to get access to calls , texts and 4G internet services , including video streaming . The service will operate across the EE masts as well as the wi-fi network offered via more than five million BT Wi-fi hotspots . The 12-month contracts will appeal to people who want to keep their existing handset but add a relatively cheap bundle of 4G data , minutes and texts . Alternatively , they can buy a new 4G phone from the BT Shop from as little as £99 . The cheapest SIM card deal offers 500 MB of 4G data , unlimited texts and 200 minutes of calls for £5 a month if you are an existing BT Broadband customer and £10 a month for everyone else . The monthly charge for 2GB of data on 4G , unlimited texts and 500 minutes of calls is £12 for BT customers and £17 for others . At the top end , customers can take an enormous 4G data allowance of 20GB , with unlimited texts and minutes , for either £20 a month for BT customers or £25 for other customers . The cheapest deal will be for existing customers , at just £5 per month for 500 MB of 4G data , unlimited texts and 200 minutes of calls . BT is sweetening the offer by giving away free BT Sport on the BT Sport App , which offers live Barclays Premier League football matches . There is also a spending cap on all tariffs . Executive director at Which ? , Richard Lloyd , suggested the BT move will boost competition and so could be good news for consumers . ‘ BT entering the quad play market could lead to stronger competition but consumers need to be able to easily compare prices of the services offered . Any impact on competition in the mobile market will depend on the terms of BT ’ s agreement with EE , ’ he said . ‘ BT should use its entry into this market to drive improvements in customer service and to innovate for its customers . Any positive changes must not be set back by the merger of BT and EE. ’ Mobile expert at the website broadbandchoices , Dominic Baliszewski , said : ‘ BT ’ s 4G SIM-only launch is exactly the kind of shake up that was needed . ‘ Starting at just £5 per month , the pricing is very competitive for existing BT customers and confirms BT ’ s ambitious plans to dominate quad-play before anyone else can get a foothold . ‘ TalkTalk and Virgin Media have both had their own mobile offering for a while now , yet people have so far remained hesitant to sign up on a quad-play basis . ‘ Broadband , TV and phone is still very much seen as a household purchase whereas a mobile phone service is considered a personal one . Bringing about a shift in perception will not happen overnight but if BT are willing to put the marketing muscle so badly needed behind these packages , quad-play could completely change the bundles market. ’ John Petter , chief executive of BT Consumer , said : ‘ Offering BT customers the UK ’ s best value 4G data deal is a great way to start our journey towards re-establishing ourselves as a major player in consumer mobile . ‘ We are offering 4G on the UK ’ s biggest network along with unlimited access to the most extensive wi-fi coverage via our 5m BT Wi-fi hotspot network . ‘ Our customers are consuming increasing amounts of data and they want the best possible connection wherever they are . It ’ s our ambition to meet this demand by combining the power of our fixed fibre service with wi-fi and the convenience of mobile. ’ TalkTalk hit back by claiming it already offers cheap mobile tariffs starting from £3.75 a month . Spokesman , Tristia Harrison , said : ‘ Our mission is to make Britain better off , that ’ s why TalkTalk homes make significant savings compared to other providers , while also getting more for their money . We offer better value tariffs with a great range of handsets . The rapid growth of our mobile base is proof that more and more homes are reaping the benefits of Britain 's best value quad-play services . ’
So-called ‘ quad play ’ service is seen as key by the mobile companies . Move comes ahead of its purchase network EE in a deal worth £12.5billion . Premier League card deal offers 500 MB of 4G , unlimited texts and 200 minutes from £5 . Offering BT Sport on the BT Sport App , with SIM matches .