BT considering mobile internet service?

The Guardian says BT is considering setting up a mobile phone or mobile data service in partnership with T-Mobile and 3. It currently offers some mobile services as an optional extension of its broadband package.

Vodafone & 3 are favourite mobile portals

Research from Strategy Analytics says that consumers in the UK prefer the usability and design of Vodafone and 3's mobile internet portals in preference to those from O2, Orange, T-Mobile and even MSN. They've also recently published a report that says an increasing number of consumers are happy with navigation on their phones, with the usability of Vodafone's Telmap Navigator software winning over two dedicated navigation devices. [Portal press release; Navigation press release]

T-Mobile ad criticised by ASA

T-Mobile's "You won't find more minutes for £30. Guaranteed." press ad and brochure have had complaints upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority following an objection from Hutchison 3G, which has a tariff offering up to 1100 voice minutes for £27. A similar complaint about T-Mobile's TV ads was not upheld because it challenged consumers to "See if you can find more minutes for £30". [ASA adjudication]

3 launches Facebook phone

As expected, 3 has announced the INQ1 - the 'Facebook phone' - today. It's the first phone from Hutchison-backed INQ and includes a number of social networking and communication services: Facebook, Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Last.fm and RSS feeds. There's a 3.2 megapixel camera, too. The INQ1 will be available free on a 'pay monthly' contract from £15 per month, which will include unlimited Facebook, Skype, Windows Live Messenger and web access, plus 75 minutes of calls to other networks, unlimited texts, unlimited email and unlimited free 3-to-3 calls (subject to 'fair use' terms). [Press release]

10% of mobile broadband customers say they were mis-sold

In the week that Vodafone was criticised by the ASA for its "light years ahead" mobile broadband advertisement and 3 admitted problems with its mobile broadband service, O2 has published research that says over one in ten mobile broadband users feel that they were mis-sold. The main source of irritation is the cost of the service, with nearly a third complaining that the ongoing cost was higher than expected. One-fifth were upset that they were unable to use mobile broadband where they wanted it despite being told that there would be coverage - and 13 per cent were frustrated there was no returns guarantee if the service wasn’t right for them. Needless to say there's a sales message in here. O2 has revamped its mobile broadband offering by cutting costs, creating a new coverage checker and offering a 50-day Happiness Guarantee. [Press release]

Hutchison Whampoa to create own phones for 3

Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa has announced the creation of a new division - INQ Mobile - that'll make phones for the company's 3G networks... and also for other operators The first device, currently known as the INQ1, will have prominent social networking features and will go on sale in the UK and Australia later this year. [Sources: WirelessWeek.com; Guardian.co.uk]

T-Mobile and 3 sign BT backhaul deal

T-Mobile and 3 have signed a deal with BT Wholesale to link their base stations to the UK telecommunications networks, freeing them from managing the connections themselves. The deal - technically with the joint-venture partnership between T-Mobile and 3's network operations -lasts for 5 years and echoes similar deals with Vodafone and O2 earlier this year. [Source: FT.com]

Mobile manufacturers to launch mini-laptops

Marketing magazine says mobile phone manufacturers are expected to start producing mini-laptops for Christmas. LG has just launched the Netbook X110 mini-laptop, with Vodafone and 3 expected to launch their own mini-laptops soon. In fact, Vodafone has just announced an exclusive deal with Dell for the Inspiron Mini 9 'ultra-mobile' laptop. [Sources: BrandRepublic.com; Vodafone press release]

3 given best mobile broadband award

Independent comparison site Top 10 Broadband has announced its first annual broadband awards. 3 won the award for best mobile broadband provider, with O2 and Vodafone also featuring in the awards. The site, which launched in January 2007, is funded by commission payments on broadband sales. [Press release]

3 connects a million mobile broadband users in Europe

Mobile network 3 says it's now connected one million mobile broadband customers across its networks in Europe. It's also taken the opportunity to talk about its ‘3 Like Home’ roaming deal, which lets customers pay discounted rates while using 3's services abroad. [Source: 3G.co.uk]

3 plans to double its customer base in 4 years

UK mobile network 3 has said it is aiming to double its customer base (to at least 6.8m) by 2012 - and it plans to double its net revenue as well. [Source: FT.com]

Ofcom cashback rules could hit dealers

Ofcom's new rules to protect consumers from mis-selling and failed cashback providers are likely to hit smaller dealers, according to the UK's mobile networks. The proposed rules, known as General Condition 23, were announced in March and are due to be implemented this summer. Networks will be liable for the practices of third parties and can be penalised up to 10% of their annual turnover for failures. Last week 3 said the new rules would cost it in the region of £1 million, forcing it to cut its dealer channel, with T-Mobile adding that the costs involved would be “extremely high and disproportionate". Ofcom is currently looking at all responses to its proposal and is expected to publish a further statement in July 2008. [Sources: Mobile News; Ofcom PDF]

3 loses call termination rate appeal

3 has lost its appeal against a cut in call termination rates imposed by Ofcom. The Competition Appeal Tribunal has agreed with Ofcom's decision that 3 UK has 'significant market power', ordering the network to cut its termination rates by 45% over the next three years. The other four major UK networks will be cutting their charges by between 10% and 20% to reach a similar level. Call termination rates are the wholesale prices paid by network operators for connecting calls from other networks. [Sources: PDF of judgement; Guardian.co.uk]

Marketing Director leaves 3

John Penberthy-Smith, the Marketing Director at 3, is leaving the company following a restructure. The Sales and Marketing teams will now be run by Marc Allera, who had been the company's Sales Director. John Penberthy-Smith had worked at Vodafone before joining 3 in 2006. [Source: MarketingWeek.co.uk]

1 million UK mobile broadband users by Christmas

Over a million people in the UK will be using mobile internet access on their laptops by Christmas, according to figures from the 3 network. It also says data traffic on its 3G network has increased 14-fold since it launched a mobile broadband service five months ago. [Source: Telegraph.co.uk]

Ofcom updates Sitefinder cell site database

Ofcom has reached an agreement with 3, O2, Orange, Vodafone, Airwave and Network Rail (but not T-Mobile) to publish the location of GSM, TETRA and UMTS mobile phone base stations on its Sitefinder web site. The regulator says it anticipates a High Court hearing about its legal obligation to reveal full details of the database, which led to the networks withdrawing their support last year.

Vodafone and 3 lead the UK's mobile portals

A new research report from Strategy Analytics called "UK Mobile Portals: One Click Access and Simple Layout Enhance Experience" has taken a look at the mobile internet portals operated by the UK's networks. 3's Planet Three and Vodafone's Vodafone Live! both achieved a 4-star rating (presumably out of a maximum 5 stars) for their overall portal experience, with O2, Orange and T-Mobile all receiving a 3-star rating. 3 and Vodafone performed particularly well for portal discoverability, while Vodafone was commended for its News & Info service and 3 for its Mobile TV offering. Strategy Analytics said Full Track Music and Games downloads were significant areas of weakness in terms of user satisfaction across all networks.

Data charges cut in Europe

Three European mobile operators - 3, KPN and Play - have said they'll cut their roaming charge for data usage to 25 Euro cents per MB from 1 March 2008. They're responsible for five brands in a total of 10 countries (KPN in the Netherlands, BASE in Belgium, E-Plus in Germany, Play in Poland and 3 in Britain, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Sweden and Denmark), which covers over 295 million customers (around 60% of the EU). Meanwhile, Vodafone said it's preparing to cut its costs later this year. The cuts follow comments by EU telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding, who'd said she wanted to see text and data charges reduced this year. [Sources: TheRegister.co.uk, Guardian.co.uk, Reuters.co.uk]

O2 and 3 to merge user-generated video services

O2 and 3 have said they're going to combine their existing user-generated video services in the UK. 3's SeeMeTV and O2's LookAtMe! will become a new service called EyeVibe and will now be available to any UK mobile phone user. The service will continue to pay users when their clips are downloaded; the two individual sites have currently seen 32 million video downloads, earning over £800,000 for users who have submitted over 60,000 clips. [O2 press release]

This week's free podcast now online

This week's free podcast from TheFonecast.com takes its usual look at the latest industry news and gossip from the last 7 days, including an interview with Adrian Foot of 'The Phone Shop' about the controversy surrounding 3's alleged advice to its dealers. We also review the Nokia N82 and James Rosewell investigates unlocking & firmware upgrades. As always, each weekly broadcast can be downloaded automatically by including us in your RSS reader or by using iTunes.