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:

We started last week with a change of plan from BlackBerry. No, it’s not selling itself to Fairfax Financial. Instead it’s aiming to raise $1 billion from investors. Cynics might suggest there wasn’t enough interest for a takeover.

Mark Bridge writes:

Talk about a difference. In preliminary results last week, HTC announced its first-ever quarterly loss while Samsung revealed record quarterly profits.

Curiously, many of the week’s other news stories also had a companion headline to provide a contrast.

Mark Bridge writes:

iPhone, iPhone. Two of ‘em, one dearer than the other but neither especially cheap. One with a 64-bit look-at-me-I’m-fast processor, the other much like an iPhone 5 with a coloured rear panel.

Mark Bridge writes:

The past few days have seen the arrival of two familiar seasons. Not only has the sun peeked its head from behind the clouds in an approximation of Spring but the mobile industry has been releasing its quarterly results.

Mark Bridge writes:

I didn’t study economics at college, which is probably one of the reasons I have a very simple perspective on quarterly results. As far as I’m concerned, they fall into one of three categories: much as expected, better than expected or worse than expected. Anyway, it’s the time of year when some of the biggest names in the mobile telecoms industry publish their financial results – so here we go.

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!