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.

Mobile phone customers from the UK have been warned about the increasing cost of making calls in Europe.

The UK's post-Brexit trade deal with the EU opened the door for mobile operators to reintroduce 'roaming' charges when customers travel abroad.

Mobile industry veterans Ben Wood and Matt Chatterley have launched an online mobile phone museum with over 2,000 different handsets from 200 manufacturers.

Nokia and Vodafone have developed and launched a ‘machine learning’ product that can detect and resolve network anomalies before they affect Vodafone customers.

Research and consultancy business GlobalData expects 5G data usage to generate monthly average revenue per user of $14.15 in 2026, which is more than double the monthly ARPU from 4G.

By incorporating advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities, AI can help to optimize a smartphone's performance, providing users with a faster, more efficient and user-friendly experience.

Mark Bridge writes:

I've been taking a look back at the devices I've written about during the past few years. Some are still faithful companions, others... well, let's just say my faith was misplaced.

Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, predicts that this year’s reduction in the number of traditional telecoms operators in some countries will provide an opportunity for other operators to innovate and capture market share in 2016.

He says next year will be a year of rapid change for telecoms… whether it’s MVNO disruption, competitive tariff pricing or simply defence from the ‘dark art’ of hacking.

Mark Bridge writes:

The most memorable moments in life often go unrecorded. You don't have your camera in your hands. Your finger is still hovering over the 'pause' button on your audio recorder. Or you were simply too busy experiencing whatever was happening. It's all about the one that got away.

That's where Kapture can help.

Mark Bridge writes:

James Rosewell shows me a colourful roll of paper that's the width of an iPhone but well over three metres long. When I look closer, I can see it's a printed copy of the Wall Street Journal's mobile website. That's a lot of scrolling to do... and a pretty unfriendly user experience for anyone reading the news online. Why does it work so badly?

The team debate the pros and cons of regulation, review the Nokia 8600, bring you the latest news from the past 7 days, and look at some software for keeping your data safe and easy to access on your mobile.

The Fonecast has teamed up with Mobile News to bring you the latest news in the mobile industry, review the Motorola RAZR2 and review the best mobile software in the form of "Skill Ball Bingo" and "Best Full Screen Caller". Also the team ask "Have Vodafone and Orange killed Mobile Voice-over-IP?"

This week the team debate the number of Operating Systems for mobile phones, review the Motorola MOTO Z8, bring you all the latest news headlines and even find time to review Worms 2007 and Mobile Spy.

The team debate the merits of the Mobile Internet, bring you mobile news from the past 7 days, review the Orange SPV M700 and Sony Ericsson P1i, plus look at X-Men Genetix and Total Recall mobile software.

This week the team debate consolidation in the UK mobile industry. Plus review the Goldfish X800 and BlackBerry Curve, and take a peek at America’s Cup Mobile Racer and SBSH Facade. All this plus the latest mobile news, from our mouth to your ears!