Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

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.
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

Thursday, September 10, 2009

T-Mobile and Orange isn't a big deal

Mark Bridge writes:

It’s the telecoms industry deal of the year. T-Mobile and Orange form a joint venture. The UK’s "big five" networks (or "big four", depending on your predilection for Hutchison 3G UK) will now be a "big four" (or "big three" if you don’t include 3. Confused yet?)

Everyone has an opinion. On Tuesday I was asked for mine by a journalist.
"What’ll it mean for consumers?"  "Not much, really".
"Will it stifle innovation?"  "Shouldn’t think so".
"Do you know anyone who’s a little more upbeat?"  "I’ll get my coat".

On the positive side, the new company should enjoy improved coverage and reduced costs… although whether those reduced costs will be noticed by consumers is another matter. On the negative side there’ll be job losses, a glut in the second-hand base station market and less competition to keep prices down.

But, in the grand scheme of things, consumers probably won’t notice much difference. Not because I’m calling them unobservant in a Dixons-staff-on-Facebook kind of way – merely because most differences will either be pretty small or pretty slow-moving to anyone outside our industry.

The only big change will be the name. Some wags have already pointed out that "Orange T" would be Earl Grey (or perhaps pekoe), while cynics suggest that Orange already has its eye on taking over the partnership and will simply drop any reference to T-Mobile.

Orange and T-MobileOr will there be a new brand, complete with its own font and tone of voice. ("Curlz MT. Pantone 427. Write as though you’re taking to a mate, not an uneducated amoeba"). Will we be introduced to a completely new word – a Zavvi, a Blyk, a Google – that’ll be "powered by T-Mobile and Orange" and’ll have its own sparkly new internet domain?

Because that’s really all most people will notice. And that decision is a couple of years away. So, yes, the T-Mobile and Orange joint venture is a big deal. But, for most people, it’s not a Big Deal.

 

Print
Author: The Fonecast
1 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

Categories: OpinionNumber of views: 9885

Tags:

1 comments on article "T-Mobile and Orange isn't a big deal"

0
0
Avatar image

Mark

9/10/2009 12:01 PM

I've just spotted the headline from an interview with Richard Moat last month: "Future isn't Orange, says man tasked with T-Mobile UK turnaround". Hmmm. snurl.com/rqbid

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

Podcast - 1st July 2011

In this special feature we look at the current state of mobile applications and try to discover what makes a good app. You'll hear contributions from madvertise CEO Carsten Frien and 2ergo Product & Technology Director Colin McCaffery.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 29th June 2011

This week's podcast covers a wide range of mobile industry topics, from unused TV spectrum to the UK's favourite apps. We also discuss smartphone reliability, Symbian's plans, touchscreen patents and quite a bit more.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 24th June 2011

In this feature on m-Health we talk about the basics of mobile health with Sophia Salenius of RegPoint before discussing medical textbooks on smartphones with Jamie Driver of MedHand. Finally there's a glimpse of the future as we meet SK Telecom at Mobile World Congress.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 22nd June 2011

This week's podcast looks at a new mobile payment partnership, the possibility of spectrum sharing, m-commerce at Pizza Express, Nokia's MeeGo device, RIM's problems and the rest of the industry's big news stories.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 17th June 2011

A recent Mobile News report into 'box breaking' returned the subject of prepay phones, commission payments and network subsidies to the headlines. Iain Graham talks to reporter Michael House and independent dealer Faisal Sheikh for two very different perspectives.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First5051525355575859Last

Follow thefonecast.com

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

Archive Calendar

«November 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
28293031123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
2526272829301
2345678

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement