ExclusiveConnecting London Car Telephones to TheFonecast.com Opinion The Fonecast - June 4, 2026 It was 1996 when I started working at the Cricklewood head office of Peoples Phone [writes Mark Bridge], initially in a sales support role before becoming part of the Marketing team. The company was an independent mobile phone retailer with a growing network of high-street shops and connected customers. In November 1996 the company and its customer base were acquired by Vodafone, which had already taken over the Talkland retail business and was soon to add Astec to its portfolio.
ExclusiveOfcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges News Mark - November 3, 2024 New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
ExclusiveGlobal smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast News Mark - November 23, 2023 A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
ExclusiveVodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses Networks and operators Mark - June 20, 2023 Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
ExclusiveUK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023 News Mark - December 18, 2022 UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
ExclusiveSmartphones are about to get smarter - in many different ways Opinion Mark - March 4, 2013 Mark Bridge writes: At Mobile World Congress 2012 I spent quite a bit of time talking about quad-core smartphones. The year before had seen a fair amount of 3D screen technology. Back in 2010 it was the growth of apps. This year I wasn’t hearing so much about mobile device innovation.
ExclusiveLast week at The Fonecast: 4th March 2013 Opinion Mark - March 4, 2013 Mark Bridge writes: We’re back from Mobile World Congress – and what a show it was. Located at a new site that saw more visitors than ever before, the show had everything… except any particularly obvious theme from hardware manufacturers. Last year was the year of the quad-core smartphone, this year there was plenty of incremental innovation but nothing truly startling.
ExclusiveCell phone use increasing pedestrian danger Opinion Mark - March 3, 2013 Faiza Elmasry of voanews.com writes: Teenagers are often warned against texting on their cell phones while they are behind the wheel of a car, since distracted driving can lead to serious automobile accidents. Many teens, however, are not aware that distracted walking can be just as dangerous.
ExclusiveMobile phone shopping tips from Mark Bridge on Britain's Secret Shoppers Opinion Mark - February 28, 2013 Mark Bridge writes: I like a challenge. I like learning. Ask me to do a spot of research and I’ll happily pore over books, trawl the internet and have lengthy conversations into the night. So I was more than happy to help when Optomen Television, the company behind “Britain’s Secret Shoppers” on Channel 4, asked me for a few tips that would help viewers get a good deal on a mobile phone.
ExclusiveWhat's wrong with Android? Opinion thefonecast.com team - February 18, 2013 James Rosewell writes: 8 months ago I moved my main smartphone from Android to Windows Phone. I had entered a simpler world. There were less applications, no tethering option, voice dictation sucked and I couldn’t get a multi-SIM device. But overall I survived. Then I started travelling more. I moved back to Android a few weeks ago... and what a disappointment.