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.
ExclusiveI'm unconvinced about the new T-Mobile hybrid tariff Opinion Mark - August 2, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: I don't like marketing spin. You know, the kind of thing where the small print contradicts the headlines or where an embarrassing u-turn becomes a benefit. Given my chosen profession, I find it tends to stand out. And so I turn my attention to T-Mobile's new 'You Fix' tariff. Sounds rather like T-Mobile's 2005 'U-Fix' tariff, but that may be coincidence. You pay a fixed monthly fee and - if you use all of your inclusive calls - you can add an additional allowance during the month by paying a bit more. Rather like buying a top-up on a prepay phone.
ExclusiveThis week at The Fonecast: 30th July 2011 Opinion Mark - July 30, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: Those quarterly figures keep coming. In our Wednesday podcast we talked about Apple and Nokia – and since then we’ve heard from Everything Everywhere, LG, Motorola, Samsung (with its multi-million selling Galaxy S II), Telefonica and Virgin Media. Each had something positive to stay, although some were more convincing than others.
ExclusiveBurnside Telecom: the largest mobile phone manufacturer Opinion Mark - July 29, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: You could probably describe Burnside Telecom as the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer. No, not production volumes - but the physical size of its products. This UK-based designer and manufacturer produces a variety of mobile devices, from office-style 'desktop mobile phones' to the type of rugged outdoor telephone used at railway crossings.
ExclusiveNew study finds no increased cancer risk for children using mobile phones Opinion Mark - July 28, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: We have a new "mobile phone cancer" report to read - but, despite the headline, it offers no concrete reassurance or firm proof. The main problem, as we've said on many occasions, is that proving 'absolute safety' is nigh-on impossible... particularly when the technology and the usage patterns keep changing.
ExclusivePodcasts from The Fonecast: the best-kept secret of the UK mobile phone industry Opinion Mark - July 25, 2011 Welcome to The Fonecast. We reckon we're the UK mobile phone industry's best-kept secret. If this is the first time you’ve heard of us, we're podcasters and news reporters. Every Wednesday we produce a podcast - an online radio show - that brings you up to speed with everything that's been happening in the mobile business. And every Friday we take a closer look at a specific news story, a company, a product or a mobile trend.