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Ofcom says mobile contracts should ditch inflation-related price rises

Ofcom says mobile contracts should ditch inflation-related price rises

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.
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Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

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.
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Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

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.
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UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

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.
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Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

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.
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Opinion Articles

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Beer o’clock

at Mobile World Congress 2014

James Rosewell writes:

I noticed a new phenomenon at Mobile World Congress this year: Beer O’Clock. Come 5pm Monday through Wednesday, companies with larger booths would break out the Cerveza, Vino, Cava and a small number of Orange juices. All very sociable and fun… until the music started.

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Beer O’Clock for many was also accompanied by music. In the case of Hall 7, trumpets and drums played very loudly for two hours. I attended a meeting at 6pm on a stand that was two aisles back from one fiesta and we genuinely struggled to hold a conversation. Goodness knows what it would have been like had we been any closer. We agreed to reschedule the meeting for 9am on Thursday when many were nursing hangovers and the party spirit was more subdued. In fact many stands struggled to ensure they were manned during the opening hours, probably falling foul of the GSMA exhibitor agreement.

I understand that drinks, canapés, music and a more relaxed environment are a major part of modern business. But this can be done in the many open areas away from the main exhibition halls throughout Gran Via. The GSMA needs to clamp down on disruptive stand parties and accept that the minor extra revenue they might generate by serving even more beverages is a small price to pay for a more professional experience.

You can hear James Rosewell talking about the week's top mobile industry news stories in our weekly podcast. Listen to the programme on our website, by subscribing free via iTunes, by using our RSS feed or on the Stitcher.com mobile app.
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