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.
ExclusiveMark Bridge - BBC News Opinion Mark - May 20, 2011 James Rosewell writes: For those that don't regularly watch the BBC News Channel at 5pm here's a rather hasty recording of an interview with our very own Mark Bridge concerning "Quick Tap"; a rather underwhelming new mobile payment product from Orange and Barclaycard.
ExclusiveTablets aren't real computers... and that's why they're so popular Opinion Mark - May 20, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: As any Star Trek fan knows, Apple didn't invent the tablet computer. The crew of the Enterprise regularly used handheld devices that looked remarkably like an electronic clipboard... or an iPad. In fact, engineers in the 1960s were working on tablet devices as the original Star Trek series first aired. Then there were the Microsoft Tablet PCs from around ten years ago. I bought one - an Acer TravelMate - as my main computer and loved it. I even loved the special pen that was needed to write on the screen.
ExclusiveApocalypse Nokia Opinion Mark - May 20, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: The phenomenon of 'apocalypse sex' is often seen in movies, comedy shows and advertisements. The end of the world's just around the corner so… hey… what the heck? I reckon it shares the same emotional basis as being 'demob happy' or having that 'end of term feeling' at school. And that feeling seems to be in plentiful supply at Nokia HQ in Espoo.
ExclusiveNew sensors can turn your smartphone into a medical tricorder Opinion Mark - May 18, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: Dr 'Bones' McCoy moves an electronic device over a patient’s leg encased in a plaster case. The device immediately identifies swelling within the cast, alerting the doctor to take action. But this isn't a medical tricorder being used by the doctor. It's a Google Nexus S mobile phone. And the situation isn't set in the 23rd century. It's now.
ExclusiveThe Council of Europe and its plans to 'ban mobile phones in schools' Opinion Mark - May 16, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: Europe's leaders want mobile phones and WiFi networks banned in schools. Well, that's what the headlines appear to say. Except - as often seems to be the case with most mobile phone health warnings - things aren't that simple. So let's start at the beginning.