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UK T-Mobile customer data sold to cold callers, responsible staff to be prosecuted
Let's be honest, who here is actually surprised that underpaid and overworked data workers would sell on our details for a few extra quid? Given the number of uninvited calls to our unlisted phone numbers, we know for a fact that somebody has been dishing our personal contacts to those Nigerian princes and caring loan consolidators, so it's no shock to learn that T-Mobile employees have been fingered for committing the deed and are now facing prosecution. We're told that inappropriately leaked information made its way into the hands of brokers, who then "cold-called the customers as their contracts were due to expire" without T-Mob's knowledge. Disappointed by the failure of current fines to discourage such illegal information trade, British Justice Minister Michael Wills has even called for "custodial sentences" to be levied against the poor slobs responsible. So, if you're scoring at home, that's now two black eyes for T-Mobile when it comes to keeping our data safe. For shame.
T-Mobile Pulse now available in UK
See that pink, embossed "Buy now" button in the lower right corner of the above pic? It's a beacon of hope to UK Android lovers who want more choices, and who for whatever reason aren't happy with the current selection. As previously discussed, the 3.5-inch Huawei-made T-Mobile Pulse is now available to our friends across the pond, for the unenviable price of nada on contract, or £176.16 (about $282 in US) with pay as you go, VAT included. Still looking for the ultimate mobile Gmail experience and a slightly larger than usual display? It's just a click away below.Read - With contractRead - Pay as you go[Thanks, Liam H]
Deutsche Telekom eyeing Sprint Nextel for acquisition?
With T-Mobile UK and Orange now having to (potentially) learn to play nice, Deutsche Telekom is already looking ahead to its next big target: Sprint Nextel. According to a Telegraph report, the telecom giant, with an estimated value of $60.45 billion, has called in advisers from Deutsche Bank as it reportedly prepares to submit an offer to the $10.6 billion-valued Now Network within the next three weeks. The assimilation of Sprint and Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Mobile US under the same umbrella could give second-place AT&T a fight with a 78.2 million-strong customer base... but that said, we wouldn't anticipate any quick or smooth merger given the US carriers rely on substantially different bands (CDMA vs. GSM) for service. Hey, there's always WiMAX might come into play. Obviously there's a lot of unanswered questions here, but at this point it's all speculation given no actual offer has been thrown on the table -- and we bet Hesse will have some choice words on the matter. Keep an eye out on this one, things could very quickly get very, very interesting here. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
T-Mobile UK sneakily offering iPhone 3G to moneyed customers
We really couldn't make this stuff up -- it would seem that T-Mobile has been sneaking some hi-tech contraband into the UK in the form of unlocked iPhone 3G handsets, which it is now peddling to its most valued clientele. And by that, of course, we mean the piggies that pay up the most every month. Limited to an extremely select 150 units a week, the Apple devices are being used as incentives for high-rolling customers to renew their eye-gouging contracts of £75 per month and above, though we suspect only a few chums in corner offices know exactly how much T-Mob is charging for the handset itself.We've done some digging, and while O2 has exclusivity on the iPhone 3G until September, that does not prevent T-Mobile from essentially functioning as a reseller of unlocked SIM-free units. Further distancing itself from legal action, the carrier is only offering the handsets to upgrading customers (as opposed to newcomers), thus the phones technically come sans a SIM. So, the suits at Magenta Towers must be feeling pretty smug right about now, having danced through a loophole and secured a wildly popular (albeit older generation) phone, all in the name of keeping high-brow customers from jumping ship. While you won't hear any PR from T-Mobile on the matter, we have a full statement from O2 on the subject of losing 3G exclusivity come September. You ready? We have a multi-year agreement with Apple to sell iPhone in the UK. This relationship continues.Man, those Britons keep it short and sweet, don't they?
T-Mobile UK's Hero hits tomorrow as G2 Touch
We're getting ready to enjoy the Magic-based myTouch 3G here in the States -- but in the UK, which is centuries ahead of the US in terms of Android technology (they're running the French Cruller code branch over there), they're about to launch a version of the Hero instead as the G2 Touch. The carrier's European divisions have been expected to get the phone over the next few weeks, and British customers in particular will be pleased to know that it'll be up online tomorrow and in stores "over the next few days." That's fine, T-Mobile, whatever -- we'd rather have the myTouch anyway. Hmph.[Thanks, Eddie]
T-Mobile UK lands LG's GT500 as an exclusive
Want a peek at a phone you'll almost certainly never have the opportunity to own? Look no further than T-Mobile UK for the GT500 from LG where the well-equipped HSDPA full touch handset that we've been tracking for a while now is apparently now shipping. Headlining features include a 5 megapixel cam with image stabilization, AGPS, tethering capability, 130MB of onboard storage, and microSD expansion (though really, what phone in 2009 doesn't have a microSD slot besides the Pre, the iPhone, and a weird Pantech here and there?). Rumors persist that this might eventually show up on Rogers, so one way or another, you're probably going to have to end up in a Commonwealth nation if you want this thing badly enough.
T-Mobile UK changes mind, dubs its Hero the G2 Touch
T-Mobile's British division has had a last-minute change of heart, christening its latest Android set the "G2 Touch" instead of the G1 Touch moniker it had thrown around before. The news comes straight from T-Mobile UK's official Twitter account, which followed up shortly thereafter by announcing that the G2 Touch would be free (yes, free) on a £40 per month (about $65) contract of 18 months. Of course, that leads to the obvious question of what T-Mobile has planned for the G1 name -- is it dead, or is it considered a flagship badge that might see use on some future high-end Android model with a QWERTY keyboard? There are definitely some QWERTY loyalists in the mix here, so we can't imagine that T-Mobile plans on abandoning physical keyboards for Android altogether (and that goes for both sides of the pond, by the way).[Via Talk Android]
HTC Hero spotted on Orange UK website
The HTC Hero has made its first appearance on a UK carrier's website, but finds itself burdened with a teasing "coming soon" badge. Having talked to Orange, we can confirm previous reports that the device will be available for free on some, as yet undetermined but surely eye-gouging, price plans. The company said they are still testing the device and should have pricing information by tomorrow. Expect T-Mobile to quickly follow suit and unveil their Hero by another name (G1 Touch?), also fully subsidized. Both carriers will be offering the graphite edition of the phone, so if you have your heart set on the white Teflon-coated goodness, you may have to go the SIM-free route.
G1 Touch branding confirmed for T-Mobile UK's next Android device
Unless the box art's been scrapped at the last minute, we're still expecting T-Mobile USA to use the myTouch 3G branding for its version of the HTC Magic in the US -- but over in the UK, the local division just dropped some knowledge that its second Android device will be known as the G1 Touch. We already had a hint of this from a Dutch rumor, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise; problem is, we still don't know what the G1 Touch is. We're thinking it's likely not the Magic since Vodafone already stole its thunder there -- T-Mobile's going to be looking for some attention with this one -- and this lines up nicely with the fact that there's a big HTC event in London next week. A totally new HTC set running Android on T-Mobile? Count us in.[Via SlashGear]
Deutsche Telekom rumored to fight off Orange, Vodafone bids for UK unit
Word on the street has been that Deutsche Telekom is being given the full-court press to do something with its unprofitable British operations, and the obvious choice would be to sell it off to one of its competitors -- Vodafone, Orange, O2, or 3. Apparently, though, Orange went ahead and made an offer just in the past few months, only to be turned down -- a sign that the French company either lowballed or that DT has very different plans on its mind. Rumors are circulating now that a restructuring will be announced as soon as this week that could give T-Mobile UK some time to turn its red ink around, but if that falls through, it's said that Voda might be interested in swapping its Turkish division for it -- so hang tough, DT, you've got options on the table.
T-Mobile UK apparently being pressured to merge or bust
There's not exactly a ton of details on this one, but it looks like Deutsche Telekom CFO Timotheus Hoettges caused a bit of a stir at the company's recently shareholder meeting, where he reportedly suggested that T-Mobile UK would likely have to merge with another carrier or face the possibility of going bust. Specifically, Hoettges said that "in our view consolidation is a means to take excess capabilities out of the market," adding somewhat ominously that "nothing is unthinkable on our side." Of course, that immediately brings up the question of which carrier T-Mobile might merge with, and MarketingWeek suggests that one of the most likely suitors would be 3, which it currently ranked fifth in the UK market right behind T-Mobile, although O2, Orange, and Vodafone would no doubt also be in the running.[Via Electronista]
T-Mobile UK rolling out annual data plan for BlackBerry
We can think of a wide variety of BlackBerrys we'd rather have, but let's take a good, hard look at what T-Mobile UK is proposing here: basically, it wants you to shell out £179.99 (about $265), and in exchange, you get the venerable BlackBerry Pearl 8110 plus a full year of unlimited email and web access. That works out to something like $22 a month for unlimited on-device data -- and on top of that, you'll be paying as you go for voice minutes, texts, and MMS messages. Not a terrible deal by any stretch, but we'd characterize this one less as blowout pricing and more as creative deal packaging. Oh, and we'll take a Curve 8900 with that, T-Mobile, thankyouverymuch.
T-Mobile UK nabbing LG Arena KM900 in black
Just ten days after the LG Arena (or KM900, if you're the proper type) launched officially in Europe, T-Mobile UK has already moved in to snag some thunder with an exclusive color: black. Not like black handsets are hard to find or anything (in fact, we already knew this phone was shipping to someone in black), but we all know how giddy the world gets when something gets labeled as rare. Reportedly, the formal color name will be Titan Black, and outside of the new hue, everything else will remain the same. Check it later this month for free on Flext 40 and Combi 40 plans.
T-Mobile UK CEO Jim Hyde stepping down, taking role at nTelos
Who says no one's hiring these days? T-Mobile UK's chief executive officer Jim Hyde will soon be leaving his corner office in order to return to his homeland in America. While we fully expect him to sail around the world and sip champagne between his departure in March (for "personal reasons," naturally) and his entry as president and COO of nTelos Holdings, it's pretty easy to understand why he's making a beeline for greener pastures. According to his future employer, Jim will be taking over as CEO upon the "eventual retirement" of current chief exec James S. Quarforth. Oh, and we bet that pound-to-dollar conversion he sees when transferring assets to the US of A will be quite amazing.[Via mocoNews]
HTC Dream coming to T-Mobile UK in November?
We don't have any idea where this information came from, but the Telegraph is reporting today that the HTC Dream will launch on T-Mobile UK sometime in November. That's the same time frame we've heard before, and it certainly seems like El Goog's first Android phone is close to its debut, so it's definitely plausible, but we'd still take this one with a grain of salt -- even though we want this thing yesterday.[Via Talk Android; thanks Chris]
Orange, T-Mobile UK announce TDtv trials, mobile TV standards now number one bajillion
Still struggling to figure out a way to turn a profit on the whole concept, carriers and infrastructure suppliers apparently have no bones about continuing to go full speed ahead on mobile TV R&D, trials, and deployments. NextWave Wireless' TDtv standard has one key advantage over competitors like DVB-H, DMB, and FLO, though: because it utilizes unpaired UMTS spectrum, it makes use of frequencies and technologies that carriers already possess. On the flipside, it has taken considerably longer for TDtv to come into its own, while DVB-H has secured a deathgrip on Europe and FLO has done the same in North America, so it's unclear at this point just how much impact it'll ultimately have. Anyway, Orange and T-Mobile apparently have shown enough interest to find out for themselves, with both carriers committing to TDtv trials in the UK that'll have West London customers receiving up to 24 telly channels and 10 digital radio stations when the system launches in the second half of the year.
