T-Mobile UK and Orange to merge, still clash
By Thomas Ricker 
posted September 8th 2009 2:36AM
posted September 8th 2009 2:36AM
Step aside O2 and Vodafone, there's a new sheriff in town. At least there will be if the announced 50:50 merger between T-Mobile UK and Orange can be signed into existence by November as planned. The new venture would give France Telecom and Deutsch Telekom units a 37% share of the UK mobile marketplace leaving O2 with 27% and the once mighty Vodafone with 25%. Let's hope that the corporate cultures mix better than orange and magenta.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
great the 2 worse carriers join to form a super shit carrier .. what next lidl and pound shops unite ?
Nah man, 99p store and Poundland.
On another note, I found some stuff in Poundland for less than a pound once. It was the happiest day of my life.
This is actually a very good thing. T-mobile and Orange offer the best value of the big network carriers by far. The problem they have is that they have pretty crap reception. So if these two combine and share masts then this could be excellent and could in fact bring down the price of vodaphone and the O2 rip-off merchants.
Agreed, one of thie things I've always liked about T-Mobile are their contract/PAYG/data models.
MixIt/U-Fix/Flext/Combi/Web'n'Walk
I believe they also were the first network to offer SIM-only contracts.
I just hope their models hold out over Oranges' outated tarrifs. Orange's data bundles are pathetic compared to W'n'W!
Well, orange and maroon work works pretty well for Virgina Tech.
Orange have a mast share agreement with vodafone aswell, just like O2 do so with this Orange are going to become without doubt the best network in the country for coverage. Although on a personal note, I actually work for Orange so am now worried about losing my job!
Prediction: First carrier with the Zune Phone.
Try finding a Zune in the UK, it's not even available outside of the US.
Hmm, to clarify my point: why launch a phone in a market where the Zune has no history? It would never get iPhone-like hype, and the Zune would still be a poor #2.
Let's be honest this is a bad merger..I mean T-Mobile wasnt that great. But merging with Orange isnt doing it any good either. I hard enough to get a decent reception unless you are in a city centre, mostly n best off all london. Was in Birmingham once n Orange was awfull there.
Just adding, I dont kno hw this will help when it comes to fixing d reception n all. Business wise den maybe its good.
They should call themselves 'Orange T'.
As i read on the daily telegraph site, the componies will be keeping there names as there "parent companies" are one anyway apprently, im more worried about 3 and virgin mobile the smaller share of the market, as 3 has just signed a contract with t-mobile and virgin is piggy backed on there network. blyk was carried on orange but they closed up shop the other week due to "bigger plans"
the merger is apprently just for the back office and technical side, not the names.
anyway as for the 4 major networks they all seem to be scamming us at the moment in the way of contracts longer term tariffs, less mins, and no free data.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/telecoms/6154166/T-Mobile-and-Orange-to-create-Britains-biggest-mobile-phone-operator.html -source
i also just saw browsing google news that over 1000 jobs are at risk with the merger, just what we need, another 1000 people on the job seekers unable to find work.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/6158663/Orange-and-T-Mobile-merger-could-see-1000-jobs-cut.html