Last year O2 UK introduced a smartphone leasing service called O2 Lease.

Vodafone has now joined the consumer leasing market with ‘Red Hot’, which also offers a phone, tariff and insurance for a single monthly payment.

Three, the Hutchison 3G network in the UK, says it’s added more than 1.04 million customers in the past 12 months. It now has 8.8 million UK customers, with 301,000 joining in the last quarter alone.

The network is also deploying DC-HSDPA technology to upgrade its network and is increasing the speed of its backhaul connection to the internet.

Last month Telefónica Digital set up a new Telefónica Dynamic Insights business unit and said its first product would be called ‘Smart Steps’.

It’s now announced the launch of ‘Smart Steps’ in the UK.

The number of people receiving coupons via their mobile phones is expected to rise by 30% next year, according to a new report from Juniper Research. That means more than 500 million people worldwide are expected to have a coupon on their phone in 2013.

Integrating coupon applications with social networks is expected to drive some of this increase, as is Apple’s recent introduction of its Passbook ticket app.

Telefonica and Microsoft have signed an agreement to create a new video platform that’ll be used for entertainment across Telefonica’s operating businesses worldwide.

The new service will take advantage of Microsoft’s Mediaroom online TV technology and will be capable of delivering video content to compatible set-top boxes, Xbox 360 consoles, web browsers, tablets and smartphones. Initially the service will be offered in Brazil, Chile and Spain.