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O2 Refresh plans split service and handset charges for easy upgrades
Most people will have some experience of lugging around a tired handset, knowing they've an eternity to wait before upgrading. UK carrier O2 has just announced its solution to phone fatigue called O2 Refresh, which splits overall costs into a "Phone Plan" and an "Airtime Plan." Much like Phones4U's JUMP plan or T-Mobile USA's new UnCarrier model, you're charged for the handset separately, so you can switch whenever you like as long as the current one's paid off. That price will vary depending on how much you lay down upfront and the Airtime Plan you choose; also, if you're done with the old one, you can get up to £260 towards the new one using O2's Recycle option. Unlike the Magenta carrier's new direction in the US, however, you will still be locked into a two-year contract, with a £12 monthly payment getting you 600 mins, unlimited texts and 750MB of data. Increase that to £17 for 1GB and unlimited calls / texts, or head for the £22 tier to increase that cap to 2GB. So, you've decided on the Airtime Plan, but what about handsets? There's a solid choice of flagships (and some less exciting models), including the HTC One, Xperia Z, BlackBerry Z10, Note II, Nexus 4 and iPhone 5, with the Galaxy S 4 and BlackBerry Q10 arriving later -- hopefully in time for O2's 4G launch this "summer." To give you an example of what Phone Plans will be like, an HTC One will set you back £529.99 (around $815) in total with a £49.99 upfront payment and £20 each month. O2 Refresh is launching April 16th in stores, and will expand to online and phone orders "in the coming months." Head to the source link below to check out the full list of phones available at launch, but don't blame us if the loathing you have for your current pocket pal is subsequently increased.
O2 customers get free pass on Virgin Media's tube WiFi, last 12 stations go online this week
Unless you're a Virgin Media, EE or Vodafone customer, you've either been shelling out for subterranean internet, or bid the London Underground's WiFi network a solemn farewell when free access ended in January. If you're with O2, however, your free pass has now been reinstated, as the bubble-loving carrier has become the latest passenger riding on Virgin Media's tube hotspots -- O2 WiFi users will even find themselves automatically registered. Also, the underground network will shortly be meeting its 120-station target, as Virgin will be flipping switches at the final 12 locations throughout this week (the station list is available at the source link). So, should you start seeing more people in more places frantically hammering their smartphones during those 30-second pauses on the platform, you'll know why.
Nokia Lumia 720 starts shipping, costs £300 prepaid at O2 UK
Nokia courted fashionistas back at Mobile World Congress with the Lumia 720, and it's ready to embrace them more fully now that the slim Windows Phone is rolling out to its first countries. We've already seen it launch in Australia and the UK, where it's available for free when subscribing to relatively frugal postpaid plans of either $29 AUD (on Virgin Mobile Australia) or £22 (on O2 UK); Brits can also spend £300 at O2 to use the phone on a pay-as-you-go basis. Other countries will get their units in short order, including Italy next week (for €349 off-contract) and Russia. As a reminder, it's not coming to the US in an official capacity: while the mid-tier device made a visit to the FCC, the absence of LTE largely precludes American carrier deals. Some of us will have to gaze on the Lumia 720 from afar as a result, but many of those craving the most stylish of Nokia smartphones can get some satisfaction very shortly.
O2's TU Go software spreads your phone number across multiple devices
Between Skype, Google Voice, Viber and several smaller players, there are plenty of platform-agnostic services vying to put your voice through their IP (get it?), and now UK carrier O2 is introducing us to its twist on multi-device communication with TU Go. It's like a marriage of the traditional phone service with the idea of making calls on your laptop, or sending messages from your tablet. An evolution of parent company Telefonica's similar TU Me apps, the TU Go software spreads your phone number across up to five devices simultaneously. You can make and receive calls / texts and manage your voicemail from compatible kit with a cellular or data connection, with all activity aggregated into one "timeline." You can't hook your smartphone up to WiFi, or gab away on another device to avoid eating into your plan's allowance, though -- all usage is treated as if it originated from your phone. TU Go is now available to all O2 customers on a monthly contract, and if you want your whole house to ring at once, head to the link below to find apps for iOS, Android, and a beta for Windows 7 (note: it really is 7-specific, and won't run in Windows 8).
Sky to buy Telefonica UK's fixed phone line and broadband business for up to £200 million
Sky already supplies fixed phone line and broadband on top of its TV services in the UK, but it's just announced it'll be gaining a few more customers. The company has shaken hands with Telefonica UK to purchase the latter's broadband and phone line business provided by the consumer-facing O2 and BE brands. As you would imagine, big bucks will change hands: Sky plans to fork over £180 million (around $273 million) right off the bat, and will write a check for up to a further £20 million (circa $30 million) "dependent upon the successful delivery and completion of the customer migration process by Telefonica UK." Regulators will need to give the deal the thumbs up before it's official, but if and when that happens, Sky will become the second biggest ISP in the UK after adding over 500,000 new customers to its books. Should everything progress as planned, the buyout will be completed by the end of April, which gives Rupert Murdoch just enough time to carry out the vault extension he'll need. Update: If you're worried this transaction will impact anything you're currently signed up to, you can probably rest easy. O2 has tweeted one of our editors to report "there will be no material change to a customer's broadband service and no fundamental contract change."
Huawei Ascend W1 launching March 7th in UK on O2: free from £13.50 per month or £120 on PAYG
We're starting to think Microsoft is onto something with Windows Phone 8, an OS that's capable of delivering a solid user experience on mediocre handset specs. UK network provider O2 seems to feel the same, and in addition to pushing Nokia's Lumia 620 at an attractively low price, has bagged exclusivity for Huawei's Ascend W1. We originally heard the device would be available sometime in Q1, but now we have a specific date: March 7th. Well, that's when you can pick up the "Electric Blue" model, anyway, with an "Electric Pink" option arriving March 18th. It'll cost £120 (around $182 dollars) if you opt for PAYG (SIM-locked, no doubt), or free on contracts starting at £13.50 per month. Sold on those wallet-friendly numbers? Then head past the break and pick out your color.
Mobile Miscellany: week of February 18th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought confirmation of Pantech's next phone for Verizon, legal battles over the airwaves in India and a new smartphone to Virgin Mobile. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 18th, 2013.
These boots were made for talkin': O2 teams up with artist for 'walkie talkie' footwear
Sorry, Ms. Sinatra, but the headline parody was all too obvious to ignore. As part of its mobile device Recycle program, which allows users to trade in old handsets for cash, British telco O2 has commissioned local designer Sean Miles to give discarded featurephones a new lease on life. The end result? Four footwear designs - made from the likes of Christian Louboutins, Nike Airs, Hunter Wellingtons and a classic Brogue men's shoe -- replete with a fully functional phone embedded in the sole. We know exactly what you're thinking: Why would anyone want to hold a shoe to their face? Whether it's for the love of the arts, a penchant for public ridicule or a closer whiff of the ground below, we can't say for sure. What we do know is that this truly "mobile" kit(sch) will be up for auction later in March at a planned exhibition. But that won't be the last you'll see of Miles' unholy meshing of tech and apparel -- the artist also plans to branch out into gloves and handbags as part of the fuller O2 Recycle Collection. You paying attention, Weird Al? This one's for you!
Ofcom mulls letting all UK carriers reuse spectrum for LTE
British regulator Ofcom gave EE special license to reuse 1,800MHz spectrum for its fledgling LTE network; to put it mildly, that rubbed other carriers the wrong way. The agency may be more open to a level playing field, as it's proposing letting everyone follow a similar route, and then some. Following calls from H3G (Three), Telefonica (O2) and Vodafone, Ofcom has offered to let all UK providers repurpose both their 1,800MHz airwaves as well as the 900MHz and 2,100MHz bands. We won't have too long to wait before a decision: Ofcom will decide on the proposal in the second quarter, which might come just in time for carriers to supplement whatever bandwidth they get from 4G auctions. Especially when hardware already exists that could use the frequencies for faster speeds, success could see the trickle of UK LTE become more of a torrent.
Blackberry Z10 UK pricing revealed: all devices 4G-ready, free on £36 per-month contracts (updated)
Liked what you saw? Even happier then, as a Brit, that you'll likely be getting your hands on it months before your US cousins? UK networks have started to announce availability for the handset, with EE, O2, Three and Vodafone already confirmed to be stocking the Z10. Retailers that will also be selling the new BB10 hardware in the British Isles include Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U. Retailer Phones 4U will launch both color options (exclusively, at least initially), free on contracts starting from £36 per month although it hasn't ventured a contract-free price just yet. However, it is offering a free 64GB PlayBook to the first 250 orders. The Carphone Warehouse, meanwhile will be offering the Z10 free on contracts of £36 per month on the major networks. Vodafone will offer the Z10 for £29 on the £42 a month Red Data plan, including unlimited calls and texts as well as 2GB of internet. It'll be free on the £47-a-month variant plan, or cost a £69 one-off payment on the £37-per-month plan. Three UK hasn't revealed any details beyond that it'll be stocking the handset, while O2 has it free on £36 per month contracts, or on pay-as-you-go for £480 if you're feeling flush. While all Z10 devices sold will be ready for 4G, according the Waterloo crew, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available to utilize EE's existing 4G service immediately. The price? It'll be £50 on a £41 per-month 24 month package, with 1GB of mobile data, as well as unlimited UK calls and texts. No word just yet on whether Orange and T-Mobile will be offering cheaper bundles later. We'll update here when we hear more pricing details from the other players.
Most HTC One X+ owners not missing pack-in charger, says O2
Last fall, O2 and HTC began selling the One X+ without a pack-in wall charger since the UK carrier estimated that 70 percent of customers already own hardware that would get the job done. After a few months of sales with the eco-minded initiative in place, O2 is claiming that 82 percent of folks didn't buy a separate charger when they purchased their smartphone, handily beating expectations for the effort. Those who did need the extra piece of kit were able to buy it separately "at cost." O2 figures that if the same strategy was applied to all phones sold in the UK for a year, there would be 24 million fewer chargers purchased during that time. According to research conducted by the carrier, there are 18,700 tons worth of unused chargers in the UK that could top off four Olympic swimming pools. If you're not a fan of the idea, brace yourself: the firm is pledging that all its handsets will be sold without a packed-in charger by 2015.
Major UK networks confirm they'll carry BlackBerry 10 wares in early 2013
While our immediate attention is focused on the fast approaching tech-fest that is CES, let us not forget another important event taking place in January -- the eagerly awaited launch of BlackBerry 10. We don't know if its success will equal RIM's expectations, but just this morning all major UK carriers emailed us confirmation they'll be stocking BB10 handsets. Three and EE (Orange and T-Mobile included) announced availability next year, but nothing more specific; O2 told us BB10 gear will land on its network "in early 2013"; and retailer Phones4u, which covers all the carriers, specified a Q1 2013 window. Vodafone implied that it'll be offering handsets immediately after launch, but we've been in contact the network's PR folks just to confirm that's true and not confused wording. We'll update you with their response as soon as we hear back.
Globalgig roaming data service launched: devour up to 5GB abroad for $49 per month (update: UK carrier)
Voiamo has just taken the veil off of Globalgig, a new roaming service that'll let road warriors consume up to 5GB through a monthly contract and the purchase of a $119 hotspot dongle. So far, it will only be available if you're roaming in the US, UK and Australia through the company's Sprint, O2 and Optus partners, respectively. However, the company has promised it'll expand to "key Asian, European Union markets, and other large global travel hubs" in the next 12 months, bringing 1GB of data for $25, 3GB for $39 and 5GB for $49 per month. Contracts will run month-to-month, and you'll be able to cancel anytime with 48 hours notice, according to Voiamo. Sounds like just the thing for globetrotting bloggers, especially with a certain electronics spectacle coming up in the New Year. Check the PR after the break for more info. Update: The UK partner is Three, not O2.
Ireland completes spectrum auction after analog shutoff, LTE rollout pegged for mid-2013
The dust has settled after Ireland's recent spectrum auction, and wouldn't you know it, Vodafone, O2, Meteor and Three have picked up a combined 140MHz of paired spectrum across the 800, 900 and 1800MHz bands. According to the country's regulator, ComReg, the auction will effectively double the spectrum available in these bands and will allow for LTE deployment across Éire. For its part, O2 has committed to begin its 4G rollout in the first half of 2013. To ensure quick deployment, all license holders are required to make their new spectrum available to 70 percent of Ireland's population within three years. In all, the companies will pay €855 million ($1.09 billion) for spectrum rights until 2030, of which, €482 million is payable up front. Curiously enough, the country's 800MHz spectrum was freed up just last month after its analog shutoff. To find a complete breakdown of the situation, feel free to hit up the announcement from ComReg at the source link below. [Thanks, Neil] [Photo credit: Seattleye / Flickr]
Ofcom: UK 4G spectrum bidding starts in January with £1.3 billion reserve
While Orange and T-Mobile love child EE has been doling out 4G to its clients for a bit now, rivals like O2 and Vodafone have been waiting for the chance just to bid on spectrum. Ofcom just announced tentative dates for the process, along with a combined minimum price of £1.3 billion -- after saying earlier that the delay was the carriers' own fault. Operators will submit their applications by December 11th, start bidding in early January and be informed if they were successful or not by March. Fees will then be paid and licenses granted, and Ofcom figures that 4G services will start to roll out from the successful bidders between May and June of next year. You'll then be able to enjoy five to seven times the speed of your current connection -- provided you haven't already jumped ship, of course.
O2 first UK carrier to confirm LG's Google Nexus 4
So, heard about that Google Nexus 4 thingy from LG? O2 is the first UK carrier to announce it'll be carrying this year's winner of the "most-leaked Android phone" award, which was mercifully launched on Monday. So far, we've found the "phenomenal" quad-core, 4.7-inch, 1280 x 768 handset with virgin Jelly Bean 4.2 to be "better than the sum of its parts," and Google will be selling the phone sim-free for an enticing £239 at the Play store. That means you'll likely find the device free under contract, but your carrier choices may be limited to start, as O2's rumored to have a 30-day exclusive. There's no mention of price or availability, but Google's own sale date of November 13th seems a good bet.
Windows Phone 8 handset UK availability and pricing detailed: free starting from £21 per month
We've heard how Windows Phone 8 is all about you, and seen all the devices bearing the new OS at launch. What's left, however, is where you can get one on the other side of the pond and, more importantly, how much it's going to cost you. Nokia has separately announced that both the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 will be launching in the UK (and France) later this week. More specifically, though, it looks like every UK carrier will be getting at least three handsets, with the almost-ready-to-launch EE getting both of HTC and Nokia's handset pairs. We've got all the (current) pricing details and availability dates after the break.%Gallery-169573%
Refresh Roundup: week of October 22nd, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
UK carriers form alliance to speed up 800MHz LTE rollout, let us enjoy our Freeview TV
Isn't it better when we work together? British carriers think so. EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have officially created a non-exclusive joint venture, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, that should speed up the deployment of 800MHz LTE by keeping Freeview over-the-air TV signals clear of interference while the partners bring their low-frequency 4G online. Previously, the networks were bound to form an equivalent company called MitCo that wouldn't have been active until after the 800MHz auction, preventing companies from getting their wireless houses in order until they'd already made a commitment. There's also a competitive angle involved to go with the cooperative work, as you might imagine: with EE's 1,800MHz LTE poised to go live on October 30th, choosing infighting over assistance would only help widen the frontrunner's lead. Whether DMSL represents altruism or pragmatism, we'll appreciate knowing that the hurdles to a catch-up in UK 4G will be more those of the technical reality than the usual political maneuvering.
UK regulators approve Vodafone and O2's network merger
Observing the mantra that the enemy of its enemy is its friend, Vodafone and O2 have gained regulatory approval to begin merging their cellular networks to better compete with Everything Everywhere. As such, they can begin spinning off infrastructure and towers to a new company called CTI, which will manage both company's hardware as a single network. It's hoped the new tie-up will cover 98 percent of the country and enable LTE services to roll out two years ahead of Ofcom's 2017 deadline. Worried about another awkward T-Mobile and Orange-style merger? Don't be, since in every other respect, the pair have pledged to operate as competing entities in a quest for your custom.
