Vodafone and Orange expected to share more

Vodafone and Orange are apparently close to expanding their existing base station sharing agreement by integrating 3G access and possibly even working together on international coverage, according to a report in The Observer.

UK mobile networks to cut jobs?

The Guardian says the mobile phone industry is likely to cut thousands of jobs in the UK during early 2009, blaming competition and the economic slowdown.

Over half of mobile consumers are influenced by handset choices

A study by Google in the USA tells us what we already knew - consumers choose their mobile phone deals according to handset brands and features as well as networks. In Google's survey, more than half of all shoppers said handsets played a major role in their purchase decisions. 24% said their decision was just about the phone, while 28% said handset and network both influenced their choice. The remainder - 48% - said they only chose depending on the network. [Source: RCRWireless.com]

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]

UK's mobile networks owe BT millions

The Competition Appeal Tribunal says BT is owed millions of pounds by Britain's mobile phone networks. It says BT was overcharged by the mobile networks when its customers called mobile phones from a fixed-line phone. The ruling dates back to 2006 but could also affect the tribunal's current investigation into mobile termination charges. [Source: Guardian.co.uk]

Vodafone reaches Silver Jubilee

Jeremy Warner, writing in The Independent, reminds us that it's 25 years since Vodafone (then part of Racal) was awarded its UK licence to run a mobile phone network.

BT and O2 do connectivity deal

O2 has announced an agreement that'll see BT providing and managing the connectivity between most of O2's base stations and its UK network. It's a five-year agreement that follows a similar deal between BT and Vodafone that was reported last month. [Press release]

Vodafone does connectivity deal with BT

Vodafone UK has signed a 5-year agreement with BT that involves BT Wholesale providing and managing the connections between Vodafone’s base stations and its national network. The deal will enable Vodafone to handle the increasing amount of data that's sent and received on its network. [BT press release]

Number of mobile companies will decline says T-Mobile boss

The number of mobile phone operators will decline in the long-term, according to Hamid Akhavan, the chairman of T-Mobile International. In an interview with Die Welt he said "In Europe, we assume that only five or six big mobile phone companies will earn money in the long-term. In Asia and the US, it is a similar number." There are currently around 50 operators in Europe. [Source: Forbes.com]

Vodafone and Orange update network sharing deal

Vodafone and Orange, which announced plans to work together last year, have issued a new statement listing their joint aims. As well as saving money they plan to:

• begin sharing 2G and 3G mobile mast sites this year
• jointly improve network coverage in the UK
• cut the number of mast sites by 15% in the first two years

[Vodafone press release]