Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
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.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS

Opinion Articles

Monday, November 19, 2012

Last week at The Fonecast: 19th November 2012

Confusion by numbers

Mark Bridge writes:

The last few days have been particularly busy for UK telecoms regulator Ofcom. It started the week by announcing its rules for next year’s UK 4G mobile spectrum auction – expect services to go live in around six months – and it ended the week with plans to avoid a 5G capacity crunch.

Meanwhile Three UK revealed that its DC-HSDPA 3G services (which it had originally described as 4G, but let’s not talk about that now) were hitting the same kind of speeds as 4G customers have been enjoying.

Confusing for consumers?  Perhaps, although no more confusing than Nokia’s new maps business. Taking a tip from the Book of Really Literal Company Names (last seen on the shelf at Everything Everywhere) the Finnish company has rebranded its mapping and location business unit as HERE. Already on the cards is a free HTML5-based HERE maps application for iOS.

Also last week we learned that BlackBerry 10 would launch on 30th January 2013, which means the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones will be available on… oh, hang on, we don’t know yet. Probably no later than the end of Mobile World Congress in February, if RIM has any sense.

In addition, RIM added voice calling to its BBM instant messaging service; effectively VoIP via WiFi. Rather reminiscent of Microsoft’s Live Messenger announcement from last week.

Vodafone UK announced a smartphone leasing deal, Telefonica launched a mobile-based footfall tracking service for businesses and Tradedoubler brought affiliate marketing to mobile applications.

Meanwhile, research told us that wireless power for mobile devices would be worth over £3 billion by 2020, mobile accessories would be worth £39 billion by 2017 and mobile coupon use was expected to rise by 30% next year.

Finally, as patent-related legal battles rage around the world, there’s news of a settlement. Apple and HTC have agreed to dismiss all current lawsuits and have put a ten-year license agreement in place to cover current and future patents. Could this be the shape of things to come throughout the mobile industry?

Probably not. But It would be nice to think so.

Receive our reminder of the biggest mobile headlines by email every Monday morning. Simply register at TheFonecast.com by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of our home page.
Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Recent Podcasts

UK 4G this year and more 4G next year

Podcast - 9th October 2012

Ofcom, the UK government and the major networks have all agreed a timetable for 4G to be launched across the UK.

We're talking about those plans in this week's podcast - and taking a look at all the other top mobile industry stories as well, from US mergers and leaky tablets to free WiFi and forthcoming quarterly results.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Apple apologises, RIM shows off and Vodafone gets friendlier with O2

Podcast - 3rd October 2012

In this week's podcast we're talking about Apple's apology for its Maps app, we're looking at RIM's BlackBerry 10 news and we're discussing the new UK company formed by Vodafone and O2.

As well as this there's tablet news from Barnes and Noble, there are record-breaking SIM-only contract sales and there's a new mobile-friendly OS on the loose.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

The iPhone 5 goes on sale, new HTC phones appear... and much more

Podcast - 26th September 2012

We start this week's programme by talking about the iPhone 5 and iOS6 before moving on to HTC's forthcoming Windows Phone 8 devices.

There's also some mobile payment news, online shopping research, a health study, data about tablet manufacturing and machine-to-machine connection figures.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Mobile gaming, from mobile game development to future trends

We talk to Sandy Duncan of YoYo Games

In this special podcast feature we’re looking inside the world of mobile gaming - from the commercial concerns of game development to the current trends affecting mobile game design.

Our guide is Sandy Duncan, CEO of YoYo Games.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

The new iPhone, the billionth Android device and the cancelled smartphone

Podcast - 19th September 2012

Although last week's Apple iPhone 5 announcement dominated the headlines, there's still plenty more to talk about.

We have a prediction about the billionth Android handset, we look at Acer's cancelled smartphone launch and we discuss the growth of mobile messaging.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First2728293032343536Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«October 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
30123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031123
45678910

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement