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Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
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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, June 5, 2012

Last week at The Fonecast: 5th June 2012

Don't expect a positive answer from the Oracle

Mark Bridge writes:

Here in the UK, we have a double Bank Holiday weekend to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. That means two days away from work for many of us (and also two days of unseasonably bad weather, according to tradition).

In fact, the three of us at The Fonecast are celebrating our own anniversary this month. It’s been six years since we started podcasting about the mobile phone industry. We’ll be revisiting some of those early programmes - and the biggest mobile news headlines from 2006 - in this week’s podcast on Wednesday.

The biggest news from the last few days is what can loosely be called a ‘conclusion’ to the Android-related legal battle between Google and Oracle. No patents were infringed, no copyright was breached... and there’s no chance this will be the last we hear of it. Expect an appeal from Oracle and much discussion about the copyright of coding.

Research In Motion made another unwelcome return to the headlines by warning that its next set of quarterly results would show an operating loss – and it’s also expecting to cut staff numbers. Disappointment from Cisco as well; it’s stopped work on the business-focussed Cius tablet.

But cheer up; it’s not all bad news. There’s been plenty happening in the world of payments, with Gartner’s research anticipating over £100 billion being transacted via mobile this year and Juniper Research expecting a quarter of European mobile users to be paying via NFC within 5 years.

A new app called PayPal inStore is now offering mobile payments in high-street shops without NFC, another mobile payment solution has just launched for UK businesses and the m-ticket innovators at Masabi have demonstrated how NFC phones can be used as smart transport tickets.

Customer service has been attracting plenty of attention too. Everything Everywhere says it’s going to redesign its service operations around handset operating systems and the devices that use them, while Ofcom has opened a consultation about an improved 'text relay' service for mobile users with hearing and speech impairments.

Finally for now, let’s turn to a different kind of mobile service. As the Diamond Jubilee weekend moves towards its conclusion, all eyes turn to the London 2012 Olympics. Mobile technology is ready to cope with the visitors... but it’s not what you might expect.

A recent announcement from BT has confirmed it’s on track to have 500,000 WiFi hotspots working across London in time for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including exclusive WiFi service across the Olympic Park in East London. And Virgin Media has named a list of 82 London Underground stations that will offer free WiFi this summer. Perhaps an excellent opportunity for a VoIP call to tell your friends “I’m in a tunnel”.

Hmmm. I’m sure I’ve said that before.

Start your week with a reminder of the latest mobile headlines. Simply register at TheFonecast.com by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of our home page and we’ll send you this weekly news summary by email.

The Fonecast is sponsored by 51Degrees.mobi. More details about advertising and sponsorship opportunities are available on the About Us section of our website.
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Recent Podcasts

Chris Millington introduces the Doro PhoneEasy 740 and the Doro Experience

Podcast - 9th November 2012

In this special feature we're talking to Chris Millington, Doro's MD for UK and Ireland. Doro, which produces easy-to-use mobile phones for older people, is releasing its first touch-screen smartphone this month.

As well as explaining the phone's benefits, Chris also describes the advantages of Doro's tablet and PC software. In addition, we take a few minutes to look at Doro's plans for the future.

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Struggles for Comet and Sharp, worries about Android apps

Podcast - 7th November 2012

In this week's podcast we hear that Comet has gone into administration and that Japanese tech manufacturer Sharp is struggling to survive.

There's also concern about the security of some Android apps, some changes afoot at O2 and a new favourite device at WiFi hotspots.

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Apple, Google and Microsoft all have something new to talk about

Podcast - 31st October 2012

We're talking about Apple's iPad mini, the new Google Nexus devices and Microsoft's two updated operating systems in our podcast this week.

There's also the launch of 4G from EE, an assortment of quarterly results and some analysis of smartphone sales.

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EE reveals its 4G tariffs, O2 makes some changes and Samsung still hasn't copied the iPad

Podcast - 24th October 2012

This week we're talking about the UK's first 4G mobile phone tariffs, Ofcom's consultation about contract pricing and O2's response to its recent network outage.

We're also looking at quarterly results from Google and Nokia, Apple's iPad design, Microsoft's tablet pricing and texting cows.

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Problems for O2, ZTE and Huawei... but some good news, too

Podcast - 17th October 2012

Last week wasn't particularly good for O2 in the UK or for Huawei and ZTE in the United States. In today's podcast we explain why.

There's also a look at newly-independent Vertu, Microsoft's new music service, a mobile-friendly search engine and 5G research in the UK.

Author: The Fonecast
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