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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

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Didn't predict the recent events at Google, Motorola and HP? Don't worry about it

Mark Bridge writes:

Let’s face it, last week’s Google/Motorola deal wasn’t widely predicted. Stasys Bielinis of Unwired View deserves a round of applause but I don’t remember hearing anyone else suggesting this radical move.

The HP/webOS situation was arguably easier to call, although the overall changes at HP are much bigger than most people expected.

Even Microsoft & Nokia’s partnership seemed the stuff of fantasy less than twelve months ago.

All these recent events reminded me of Charles Dunstone’s appearance at the Google Think Mobile event at the end of June.

Charles, who - I’m sure you know - co-founded The Carphone Warehouse, described his early days as “just stumbling around trying to make a living” within a minute of walking onto the stage.

He went on to talk about the early days of mobile, when the idea of 1% UK mobile penetration was considered “insane” - and the success of SMS was an “accident”.

“All the way through mobile, everyone has failed to understand its potential and then has also failed to capitalise on its potential”, he said, noting that “generally what happens in the mobile business is not ever what anyone has anticipated”.

“It’s a very, very confusing environment and there’s absolutely no-one who really knows where it’s headed and in the end who’s ultimately going to own and who’s going to be the most powerful people within this marketplace”.

I find all this reassuring. After all, if the CEO of one of the UK’s longest-established and best-loved mobile phone businesses isn’t trying to predict the future, I probably shouldn’t worry about it either.

[YouTube: Charles Dunstone at Think Mobile]

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Recent Podcasts

Podcast - 11th June 2010

Ben Whitaker of Masabi talks about mobile ticketing, including his company's recent partnership with thetrainline.com that'll enable almost any mobile phone user to buy train tickets when they're on the move. (An extended version of the interview from Wednesday's podcast).
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Podcast - 9th June 2010

Apple announces the iPhone 4, Iridium prepares 72 new satellites and Orange reveals a phone charger powered by hot feet. In addition there's a conversation with Ben Whitaker of Masabi about his company's plans to introduce rail tickets on mobile phones across the UK.

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Podcast - 2nd June 2010

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Podcast - 26th May 2010

Iain, James and Mark discuss the week's headlines, from the Nokia/Yahoo! partnership and Google's AdMob approval to one-sided phone calls. There's also an interview with Andrew Grieve and Paul Erickson from fSONA; a company that offers 'optical wireless' technology to relieve network capacity problems.

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Podcast - 19th May 2010

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