As Neotel gears up to launch its first prepaid consumer products in the next few weeks, the telecommunications operator has announced it has concluded a deal with JSE-listed Blue Label Telecoms to take the offerings to market.

Blue Label will offer Neotel’s prepaid products through its retail points of presence across the country. The products are expected to be launched next month.

“Neotel will soon be launching prepaid services to the market and we required a partner that had a wide operational footprint,” says Neotel MD Ajay Pandey. “With Blue Label Telecoms, we have gained that reach into their extensive distribution network, including large chain stores, independent retailers and petroleum forecourts.”

Neotel already offers its consumer products through Altech Autopage Cellular, Postnet, Samsung and Nashua. It also has its own retail stores operating in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.

The company will be hoping the launch of prepaid services, which is slated for August, will improve its poor performance in the retail consumer segment where it has signed up fewer than 50 000 paying customers. Neotel has performed relatively better in the wholesale and corporate markets. — Staff reporter, TechCentral