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: 20th March 2011 Opinion Mark - March 19, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: The last seven days have seen the UK mobile industry coming to terms with Ofcom's plans to cut mobile termination rates from next month. Some think the reductions should have been larger and faster-acting, others say they'll mean higher call charges for prepay customers. The reality will become more obvious from 1st April.
ExclusiveWhy there's no point putting NFC in the Apple iPhone 5 Opinion Mark - March 13, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: A report in The Independent says Apple won't be putting a Near Field Communication chip in the next version of the iPhone. Although Apple is thought to be working on its own NFC service connected to iTunes, it's said to be "concerned by the lack of a clear standard across the industry". On the surface, that phrase doesn’t make sense.
ExclusiveThis week at The Fonecast: 12th March 2011 Opinion Mark - March 11, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: Sadly we’re ending the week with yet another natural disaster. Barely two weeks after New Zealand’s earthquake comes news of Japan’s biggest quake in living memory. Still, I’m here to talk about mobile phones, so – after a quick mention of the great work being done by the Red Cross – I’ll get on with it.
ExclusiveMicrosoft deal may not work out, admits Nokia Opinion Mark - March 10, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: In recent weeks there’s been a lot of talk about the partnership between Nokia and Microsoft. But taking a look at today’s Form 20-F - the annual report that Nokia is filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission - provides a valuable reminder that nothing’s set in stone.
ExclusiveMC Iain Graham and the story behind the mobile phone rap Opinion Mark - March 8, 2011 Mark Bridge writes: The final news story in this week's podcast is best described as an update from last week's programme. The story itself remains the same but the presentation style has been changed dramatically.