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:

Farewell for another year, dear old International CES. The Las Vegas-based consumer electronics show is but a fading memory as the mobile industry starts preparing for next month’s GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

However, what happened in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.

Mark Bridge writes:

Another week, another couple of product announcements from Samsung. There appears to be no stopping them, despite a recent drop in the company’s share price.

This time it’s a couple of tablets – one of which runs both Android and Windows 8 – and a 20 megapixel camera that’s got a 4G-enabled Android device built in.

Mark Bridge writes:

Today’s consumers receive a seemingly never-ending stream of online information from their social networks, from websites, in their email and on their mobile devices. But is there a way to let individuals stay in control whilst also helping companies advertise their products?  According to nFluence Media, there definitely is.

To find out more, I spoke to Henry Lawson, co-founder and CEO of nFluence, and started by asking him to explain exactly what nFluence did.

This week the team debate the number of "free" calling options on the market and determine if they represent real value for money. They review the new budget phone from Motorola the W220 and Nokia's 5300 Xpress Music phone along with more applications for your phone and the latest news and views.

This week we review the LG Shine a phone that doubles as a mirror, and a WiFi Skype phone from Belkin. We discuss the future for Mobile TV as well as all the latested news and software including Dr Simon's Brain Trainer a mobile rival to Brain Age on the Nintendo DS.

The team update you on the Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4U and Vodafone latest, you can still buy Vodafone in other high street Retailers. Latest news including O2's reduction in roaming charges from Spain. Plus a review of the Lobster 700 with mobile TV from Virgin and the Sony Ericsson W850i, along with First Direct's mobile banking service and Monopoly on your mobile phone.

This week the team bring you the facts associated with Vodafone's announcement to abandom Carphone Warehouse as well as informed debate on what this means to the industry and consumers. We also review the UK mobile networks HSDPA roll out status.

This week the team debate the state of the Mobile ringtone market, review Orange Unique a service that combines broadband with your mobile plus the Nokia 95 and all the latest news and mobile software.