This week, two telecoms in different countries have announced similar promotions that offer pay-TV services to otherwise mobile-only customers.

In Tunisia, Orange has partnered with France Televisions to allow its mobile subscribers to purchase streaming plans, giving them unlimited access to France.TV Go service, which features four main live channels and a library of past programming.

Meanwhile, Vodafone Spain has launched three new mobile-only plans with unlimited data that also provide access to pay-TV packages, including Disney+, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video.

Tarifica’s Take

The recent offerings from Vodafone Spain and Orange Tunisia point to what is possibly an emerging trend in the telecom industry. This is a departure from the traditional telecom practice of bundling pay TV with in-home internet connections. This trend could be seen as a reverse cord-cutting, where users drop their home broadband (relying on their mobile device for all their internet activity), but keep their cable TV.

This development is a further indication that mobile plans are increasingly occupying the central position of most users’ telecom bundles, rather than home broadband. However, it is worth noting that this trend is still in its early stages and may not be a good fit for all consumers. Many users still prefer fixed broadband or may not be interested in pay-TV services at all. Yet, for that targeted slice of consumers who prefer the convenience and flexibility of mobile-based entertainment options, this kind of offer could hit the sweet spot.