NTL is planning to offer its digital TV service for free now that it has acquired Virgin Mobile, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph at the weekend.

The deal, announced last week, made the cable operator a "quadplay" provider with the ability to offer TV, telecoms, broadband and mobile services to consumers.

Robert Samuelson, head of Virgin Telecoms and Media, told the newspaper: "The thing about selling four products is that you can offer one for free."

Richard Branson, who will hold 14% of the company following the takeover, added: "Across the board we want to make sure we are the competitive leader in the marketplace."