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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mark Bridge writes:

A new report has highlighted the issue of poor mobile phone coverage in rural Sussex villages. BBC Sussex invited me onto their ‘Sussex Breakfast’ radio show to explain what could be done - and, as usual, I made enough notes for a lecture rather than a three-minute interview.

Here’s what I would have liked to have said if I’d been given a disproportionate amount of time to talk.

Mark Bridge writes:

Much like the mainstream media, this week's news summary begins with 'voicemail hacking'. In our podcast feature on Friday we spoke to industry crime-fighter Jack Wraith about the security of voice messages. He explained how remote voicemail access was now much more secure than it was ten years ago, which is good news for everyone (except dodgy investigators).

Mark Bridge writes:

Unlimited mobile data. Once upon a time, it seemed that everyone offered it. Not that mobile data was ever really unlimited – there tended to be a ‘fair usage’ clause tucked away in the terms and conditions – but the word ‘unlimited’ was used a lot. The fact that it was always accompanied by an asterisk didn’t seem to trouble trading standards departments.

Iain Graham writes:

Woe is me!  I recently did a foolish thing, I tried (and unfortunately succeeded in) changing my home broadband supplier!  Let me begin at the beginning...

Iain Graham, Mark Bridge and James Rosewell take their usual off-beat look at the latest industry headlines in this week's edition of The Fonecast. John Ryan offers retail merchandising advice - and there's a preview (or should that be a forecast?) of the BlackBerry Storm.

As well as its usual look at the latest industry news, this week's edition of The Fonecast includes an interview with Graeme Oxby, MD of Virgin Mobile. There's also time for a quick preview of the new Prada phone from LG.

In this week's edition of The Fonecast we're talking to Milind Kangle, CEO of Lycatel - the company behind new UK virtual network Lycamobile. There's also a quick preview of the forthcoming Android-powered T-Mobile G1 and our usual look at the latest mobile news headlines.

As well as its usual look at the latest mobile industy headlines, this week The Fonecast talks to an O2 dealer and the IMPDA's Chris Caudle about the changes to O2's dealer commission structure.

This week The Fonecast welcomes Nokia's Rupert Englander, who explains more about his company's new Comes With Music service. There's also a preview of the HTC Touch HD and the usual irreverent look at the week's industry headlines and rumours.