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.
ExclusiveThe positive cult of giffgaff Opinion Mark - October 17, 2010 Mark Bridge writes: Wouldn't it be great if mobile customers loved their networks so much that they'd fight for them? Ofcom would be inundated with complaints from O2 users about its decision not to allow GSM frequencies to be used for 3G services. Vodafone customers would demand that Nokia pre-loaded the N8 with a Vodafone 360 application. Orange users would be sending petitions to radio stations, asking them to implement HD Voice on phone-ins. And giffgaff users would take to online forums to defend the service they receive. Oh, hang on. That last one's already happening.
ExclusiveNectar only really cares about iPhone owners Opinion Mark - October 8, 2010 Mark Bridge writes: Never mind customer loyalty, if you don't have an Apple iPhone you're a second-class consumer. That's the message I seem to have received from Nectar, the multi-retailer loyalty card company.
ExclusiveBlackBerry's PlayBook and Sony Ericsson's LiveView: spot the similarities Opinion Mark - September 28, 2010 Mark Bridge writes: RIM and Sony Ericsson each reveal a new product within 24 hours. One has a 7-inch screen and a big announcement at the company's developer conference. The other, with a 1.3-inch micro-display, has a lower-key launch. Yet it's the similarities that have attracted my attention.
ExclusiveFixed-line telecoms providers have a lot to learn about customer service Opinion Mark - September 27, 2010 Iain Graham writes: Woe is me! I recently did a foolish thing, I tried (and unfortunately succeeded in) changing my home broadband supplier! Let me begin at the beginning...
ExclusiveLet's stop being so girly about mobile phones Opinion Mark - September 24, 2010 Mark Bridge writes: I remember the 1980s. In fact, I rather enjoyed them. Hang on a sec, hear me out. There really was some good stuff there – not least the renaissance of "sisters doin' it for themselves". Oh, and the launch of the UK's first cellular mobile phone network.