China Telecom’s European arm is to launch consumer facing services for the first time outside of China after striking an MVNO deal with UK carrier Everything Everywhere.

The deal was secured through Everything Everywhere’s mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA), Transatel, and takes the company’s portfolio of MVNO partnerships to 24 in the UK.

The MVNO will launch in the first quarter of this year and will specifically target Chinese residents and businesses in the UK, as well as Chinese students and tourists.

Yan Ou, managing director of China Telecom Europe, said: “Entering the UK mobile market is a strategic move for China Telecom. We are keen to launch the service in the UK as soon as possible as there is a real gap in the market for the  provision of tailored mobile services and competitive tariffs aimed at the growing Chinese population in the UK.”