UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has proposed new rules that would ensure UK customers are told about any roaming charges when using their mobile phones abroad. Its consultation will close on 28th September 2023.

Apple has agreed to pay $113 million in the USA to settle allegations that it deliberately slowed down older iPhones.

UK mobile operator EE says it switched on its 4G service in the Channel Tunnel two months ago and has now provided 4G service to more than 25,000 EE customers.

Since September, 282GB of 4G data has been carried on EE’s network from the tunnel. Average download speeds are 13.5Mbps, with peak speeds of 57Mbps delivered.

Consumers think mobile video calling services provided by mobile network operators would be better than those provided by third-party ‘over the top’ providers.

That’s according to a survey commissioned by telecoms software specialist OpenCloud and carried out by YouGov across the UK, France, Germany and the USA.

Fresh from its deal last month to buy French telecoms business SFR, the Numericable Group is now negotiating to acquire Virgin Mobile France.

According to a statement by Carphone Warehouse, which owns 46% of the holding company, all the holding company shareholders have entered into an exclusivity agreement with Numericable.

By incorporating advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities, AI can help to optimize a smartphone's performance, providing users with a faster, more efficient and user-friendly experience.

Mark Bridge writes:

I've been taking a look back at the devices I've written about during the past few years. Some are still faithful companions, others... well, let's just say my faith was misplaced.

Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, predicts that this year’s reduction in the number of traditional telecoms operators in some countries will provide an opportunity for other operators to innovate and capture market share in 2016.

He says next year will be a year of rapid change for telecoms… whether it’s MVNO disruption, competitive tariff pricing or simply defence from the ‘dark art’ of hacking.

Mark Bridge writes:

The most memorable moments in life often go unrecorded. You don't have your camera in your hands. Your finger is still hovering over the 'pause' button on your audio recorder. Or you were simply too busy experiencing whatever was happening. It's all about the one that got away.

That's where Kapture can help.

Mark Bridge writes:

James Rosewell shows me a colourful roll of paper that's the width of an iPhone but well over three metres long. When I look closer, I can see it's a printed copy of the Wall Street Journal's mobile website. That's a lot of scrolling to do... and a pretty unfriendly user experience for anyone reading the news online. Why does it work so badly?

The Fonecast this week includes the announcement of iPhone OS v4.0 and the new Microsoft KIN mobile phones - along with details of other social networking handsets, takeovers, rumours and delays.

In this week's podcast we talk about faster mobile number porting, lower mobile termination rates, smartphone ownership, free Twitter access and the Apple iPad. In addition, Mark Bridge samples a variety of mobile social networking services on his wedding day.

This week's edition of The Fonecast packs in everything from mobile security to smart meters. There's also good news for mobile gamers, good news for old phones... and good news for anyone who's fed up with SMS spam.

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge look back at last week's Mobile News Awards and discuss the other industry headlines from the past seven days.

This week's podcast covers Wayfinder's closure, NFC mobile phones, Digital Britain delays... and an interview with Jim Bryan, co-founder and managing director of Retrieva Limited, whose company produces a tracking and anti-theft dog collar that combines GPS, GSM and RFID technologies.