Icelandic communications provider Síminn has signed a joint venture with acquisitive VAR Daisy Communications and will rebrand its UK arm.

Aerofone, Síminn's UK business, will now trade under the name Daisy Mobile, with Neil Gething joining the firm as managing director. Gething founded managed services specialist Isis Telecommunications before selling up to Vodafone in 2006.

Gething claimed it would be business as usual, adding: “This is a name plate change, but obviously the deal enables us to offer a wider proposition to the 35,000 existing Daisy customers and those with Aerofone. This venture will allow Daisy to become a unified telecoms provider with service excellence running through all aspects of the business.

“We have acknowledged that the market has changed dramatically in the past three years and that future lead products will be in data, not voice. With strong products in place, we anticipate we will grow the Daisy Mobile division to become a leader in its field.”

Daisy sealed its 19th acquisition in January and the Síminn joint venture represents its first deal of its new financial year. Chief executive Matthew Riley claimed his firm had been on the lookout for potential mobile service providers to acquire for some time.

"I view this deal as the one that really diversifies Daisy as a total telecoms provider," he said. “Aerofone is obviously a well-known name in the mobile market and I am delighted that a man with such vast knowledge and experience in the industry as Neil Gething has joined to head the Daisy Mobile area of the business.”

Saevar Freyr Thrainsson, Síminn chief executive, added: "This joint venture is a logical and strategic step in our operations in the UK. Síminn is a market and technical leader in telecommunications and IT in Iceland, offering a wide range of solutions for corporations and homes. We will now have increased opportunities to offer some of these solutions to the SME market in the UK.”