O2 cuts ties with Carphone Warehouse

"After 20 years of trading, our current consumer contract with Dixons Carphone expired on 31st March 2020," said the operator, owned by Spain's Telefonica.

"While we've worked hard over the past year to put a number of options on the table, it has not been possible to reach a new agreement as they've made clear to the market that they wish to take a new strategic direction and change the relationship they had with mobile operators."

Dixons Carphone said in mid-March that it would be closing all 531 UK standalone stores, axing almost 3,000 jobs in a move to turn around the struggling business.

Dixons Carphone said it is moving to a "more flexible and transparent mobile offer that gives better value and choice" and which is scheduled to launch this year.

"We continue to offer our customers a wide range of choice through our own Mobile Virtual Network Operator, iD Mobile, and partners EE, Vodafone, Virgin Media and Voxi, including those who currently have an O2 connection," the company said in a statement.