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Monday, February 4, 2013

Last week at The Fonecast: 4th February 2013

Goodbye RIM, hello BlackBerry

Mark Bridge writes:

Apple launches a new product and BlackBerry pushes it out of the headlines. Who’d have thought it, eh?

Yes, Apple’s new $799 128GB iPad didn’t get much of a mention in the mobile press last week - thanks to the new BlackBerry 10 platform and two new smartphones. Memories of Stephen Bates’s awkward BBC interviews were soon forgotten as the touchscreen Z10 appeared and quickly hit the shelves of UK retailers. The company’s old name is also being left in the past; Research In Motion is simply becoming ‘BlackBerry’.

Meanwhile a steady stream of quarterly financial results kept analysts busy. Facebook saw its profits fall as investment in R&D increased. LG’s income was hit by a fine from the EU. Ericsson’s quarterly figures were adversely affected by its ST-Ericsson partnership... and Qualcomm saw income, revenue and shipments increasing year-on-year.

Virtual mobile network and VoIP service provider Truphone picked up £70 million of new funding from Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, while another MVNO - Ovivo Mobile - is looking to crowdfunding for its next investment round.

Finally to 4G, which Ofcom wants to see more widely available. It’s just published a proposal to let any of the UK’s big network operators roll out fourth-generation mobile technology on frequencies that had originally just been licensed for 2G or 3G services.

Three UK is already planning to do exactly that. It’s arranged to pick up some 4G-enabled 1800MHz spectrum from EE and has just promised to add 4G connectivity to all its existing price plans without any extra cost.

Whether you think that’s a game-changing move or just smart PR, it’ll certainly be good news for anyone saving to buy a 128GB iPad.

Every Monday morning we summarise the past week’s mobile industry headlines in our newsletter. To receive it, simply register your email address at TheFonecast.com by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of our home page.
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Opinion Articles

A new Nokia typeface: rearranging the deckchairs... or finding a horseshoe nail?

Mark Bridge writes:

Last week Nokia announced a new typeface called Nokia Pure.

The new branding will soon start appearing in Nokia's advertising and on Nokia devices as well.

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This week at The Fonecast: 26th March 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

There was big news from the United States this week as Deutsche Telekom decided to sell T-Mobile USA to AT&T. Was it a shotgun wedding or is this a carefully calculated deal designed to benefit consumers?  Time will tell – assuming, of course, the merger gets approved by the US regulator.

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BT increases fixed-line charges as Mobile Termination Rates fall

Mark Bridge writes:

The Terminate The Rate campaign has pretty much run its course. Its aim was to get Mobile Termination Rates reduced. These are the wholesale charges paid when a mobile or fixed-line network connects a call from one of its customers to a rival. Lower MTRs would mean better deals on call charges, the campaign argued.

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London Olympics mobile phone ban is nothing to be exercised about

Mark Bridge writes:

"It's political correctness gone mad, innit?"  The terms and conditions for booking tickets to the London 2012 Olympic Games include a warning that certain items are banned. Food, flasks of drink, umbrellas, musical instruments and mobile phones are all on the prohibited list.

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This week at The Fonecast: 20th March 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

The last seven days have seen the UK mobile industry coming to terms with Ofcom's plans to cut mobile termination rates from next month. Some think the reductions should have been larger and faster-acting, others say they'll mean higher call charges for prepay customers. The reality will become more obvious from 1st April.

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Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge return to review their mobile industry predictions from last year. Which mergers, partnerships and developments did they forecast correctly... and which didn’t work out as planned?

Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

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Podcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Podcast - 6th March 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

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Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

Podcast - 27th February 2015

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

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Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

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A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

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