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.
ExclusiveThis week at The Fonecast: 23rd July 2011 Opinion Mark - July 23, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: We've had a week packed with financial figures. Microsoft, Vodafone and Qualcomm were all relatively upbeat with their quarterly results. A 'thrilled' Apple shipped over 20 million iPhones in yet another record quarter, while Nokia shipped less than 17 million smartphones (and almost 72 million other mobile phones) in its 'disappointing' quarter.
ExclusiveThe fight against mobile bullying gets smarter with Bully Block Opinion Mark - July 22, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: With mobile phones becoming smarter – and increasing numbers of children using these smartphones – it's not surprising to hear that bullies are taking advantage of mobile technology. 'Cyber-bullying' is now in the Oxford English Dictionary... and some people have even called for a ban on mobiles in schools in an attempt to reduce bullying. Taking a high-tech perspective in the fight against mobile bullying is Sedgrid Lewis, CEO of Spy Parent LLC.
ExclusiveNever mind iPhone 5, it's the Apple iPad 3 that could change the world Opinion Mark - July 20, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: I like a bit of competition. It can encourage innovation, whether it's NASA's moon landings or Formula 1's telemetry. And it can be entertaining to watch, from Premiership football to the Tour de France. It's one of the reasons the mobile industry still excites me. Although the frenzied growth of the 1990s is gone, there are still many competing forces.
ExclusiveThis week at The Fonecast: 17th July 2011 Opinion Mark - July 17, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: Much like the mainstream media, this week's news summary begins with 'voicemail hacking'. In our podcast feature on Friday we spoke to industry crime-fighter Jack Wraith about the security of voice messages. He explained how remote voicemail access was now much more secure than it was ten years ago, which is good news for everyone (except dodgy investigators).
ExclusiveHow safe is your voicemail... and how safe is your phone? Opinion Mark - July 15, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: In this week's podcast feature we're joined by Jack Wraith, chief executive for the Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum and chairman of the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum. He talks to Iain Graham about the current state of voicemail security and the improvements to mobile security we've seen in the last few years.