Sky has confirmed it’s launching its own mobile network, in association with O2

Remember the rumours we heard a couple of weeks ago regarding Sky partnering up with O2? Sky has just confirmed that those rumours were true, and its mobile network will launch in 2016.

The partnership will see Sky launch its own mobile virtual network that will offer 3G and 4G services via O2’s network infrastructure. It also means Sky will be the latest quad-play provider –offering TV, landline, broadband, and mobile contracts– allowing it to compete with other quad-play providers like BT, TalkTalk, and Virgin Media.

This wouldn’t be the first time Sky has attempted such a move. It did partner up with Vodafone at the end of last year, offering 200,000 customers the chance to get their mobile contracts through Sky. Clearly that didn’t work out as well as Sky had hoped, hence why it ditched Vodafone and formed a partnership with O2.

It is slightly odd that Sky would make this announcement so far ahead, though its possible that it just want to let people know that quad-play packages will be coming in case they decide to jump ship and move to someone else. It’s not clear why it’s taking so long either, but it’s likely that Hutchison Whampoa’s long rumoured takeover of O2 could be getting in the way.