VAR Freedom Communications has revealed it has become one of only two resellers in BT’s newly defined chief supplier partner category.

Freedom previously supplied Thus and Cable & Wireless (C&W) fixed-line minutes, but will now supply BT calls, lines, SIP trunks, video conferencing and other network services.

Freedom’s sales director Chris Luff said: “We have moved some revenues to BT, but it will not affect our relationship with Thus. We are now looking at managed services.

“We have always been known as a voice seller, now we are looking at a complete end-to-end solution.”

Having been agreed last year, the partnership with BT was recently implemented and is worth £1.3m a year over three years.

Luff indicated that BT’s 21st Century Network (21CN) programme had been a big attraction for Freedom. “We are very excited about the 21CN and our key focus will be the public sector and multi-site distributed networks.”

Charles Scully, BT’s key reseller account director, added: “Freedom will be a key BT partner. We are in a unique position to supply Freedom customers with quality network services and products.”

This is the second time BT has tweaked Thus’ nose, after snatching away a contract with BSkyB worth between £200m and £300m.

The three-year deal will see BT provide Sky customers with home phone services. Industry watchers have suggested the loss of such a high-profile and lucrative contract will make C&W’s proposed buyout of Thus more likely.

As CRN went to press, almost 30 per cent of Thus shareholders had accepted C &W’s £329m bid for the firm. But although Thus’ board has put the offer to shareholders, it has failed to recommend the bid.

Quocirca principal analyst Rob Bamforth claimed that should the deal go ahead, it could benefit all of the UK’s major telcoms firms.

“Combining the two organisations is a natural progression. It would be good for the telecoms industry, not necessarily to wipe out the might of the market incumbent, just to improve all the dominant players; creative tension is good for any market.”