UK telecoms regulator Ofcom wants to ban inflation-related rises in phone and broadband contracts. Instead, it says any potential mid-contract price rises should be set out in pounds and pence.

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.

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.

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.

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.

Mark Bridge writes:

'Twas the week before Christmas, when all thro' the mobile industry
came a sudden burst of news-related activity.

Mark Bridge writes:

It’s claimed there’s recently been some dodgy equine activity in the mobile industry. No, I’m not talking about the dancing pony that promoted Three UK. I’m not even making lasagne jokes. I’m talking about the ‘Trojan horse’ threatening to monopolise the mobile marketplace.

Mark Bridge writes:

I’ve recently been talking to Theo Neumann from Wolverhampton City Radio about the top ten gadgets that are likely to hit the headlines in 2013. The most desirable, most likely to be talked about, most exciting… that kind of thing. Although my top 10 list isn’t entirely mobile-related, I thought it was worth sharing here.

Mark Bridge writes:

If you want to understand mobile gaming, from the commercial side of game development to the current trends in game design, Sandy Duncan is a great person to talk to.

He spent over 16 years at Microsoft, initially working with PC manufacturers and latterly setting up the company’s Xbox game console business in Europe. He’s an enthusiastic gamer. And, for the last six years, he’s been CEO of YoYo Games.

I started my conversation with Sandy by asking him why there was so much interest in mobile gaming when PCs and dedicated consoles were always going to be more powerful than smartphones.

Elizabeth Lee of voanews.com writes:

Smart phones and tablet computers have become so popular that they are now a part of everyday life for many people around the world. These devices have also prompted an explosion of mobile applications. Hollywood is plugging in to this potentially profitable world of new technology.

The week's mobile industry headlines including an interview with 20:20 Mobile's Stuart Henry, a conversation with John "Doctor Shop" Ryan, a look at the Nokia 7900 Prism and a rant from Mobile News editorial director Ian White.

We interview John Barton from LG Mobile, review the new Sagem my850v, discuss the week's mobile industry news, listen to Ian White's outspoken opinion and look at the 'petbuddi' GSM-based dog location service.

The team talk to Martin Flick of Azzurri Communications about T-Mobile, discuss other stories making the headlines, review the Samsung G600 and Pocket Informant 2007, plus bring you an interview with a real Mystery Shopper.

This week the team reviews the Sagem my300c, interviews Phil Jones from Tex2me.com, looks at Phone Sherpa and discusses all the latest mobile phone industry news.

This week the team debates "is the new Carphone Warehouse upgrade policy good news for the industry?" and reviews the Alcatel OT C-825 & Map24 Mobile software, as well as bringing you commentary on all the latest news.