Caudwell aims to expand its CPS share

Firm hoping for 10 to 15 per cent of market by end of 2005

Caudwell Communications is hoping to grab 10 to 15 per cent of the carrier preselect (CPS) market by the end of 2005.

The firm holds three per cent of the market, which has seen stiff competition since deregulation. Craig Joseph, head of business partner sales at Caudwell Communications, said: "We officially launched in September and now have 200 partners. We have aggressive plans for expansion."

The company is part of the Caudwell Group, which also owns mobile retailer Phones 4U.

Cesar Bachelet, communications analyst at Ovum, said the market for CPS services grew from 1.6 million to 3.7 million lines in the 12 months to June 2004. However, most of this growth came from users of 'call by call' services moving to CPS.

"The most obvious competitor is Carphone Warehouse. It launched in February 2003 with 648,000 customers and now holds more than 15 per cent of the market," said Bachelet.

Centrica has just less than a 20 per cent share through British Gas Communications and One.Tel.

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