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UK carriers graciously agree to £100 bill cap for lost and stolen phones
A lost or stolen mobile is bad enough, but things can get considerably worse if whoever picks it up sticks you with a mammoth bill for good measure. Smartphone kill switches or a simple screen lock can save you from such injustice, but hindsight isn't much comfort when your phone's already MIA. That's why all of the UK's major carriers have agreed to a new £100 "liability cap" that could protect you from the worst-case scenario of no phone, huge bill. The "voluntary agreement" -- drafted with government guidance and signed by EE, O2, Three, Vodafone and MVNO Virgin Media -- does come with fine print attached, however. You'll only be eligible for the liability cap, which limits your maximum outlay to £100, if you report your phone lost or stolen to your carrier and the police within 24 hours of it going missing. Contacting your mobile network so they can freeze your account should be top of your to-do list anyway, but is this added level of consumer protection really as awesome as everyone involved would have us believe?
Vodafone to launch WiFi calling in the UK this summer
We've all experienced ropey reception at one time or another. Those frustrating moments when you really need to make a call, but the line just won't connect, or you're left trying to decipher broken, distorted responses from the other person. Now, following EE, Three and O2, Vodafone has announced plans to offer WiFi-enabled calls in the UK. Three and O2 have already launched their respective services, but to use them you need to have a dedicated app installed on your smartphone. EE is trialling a service that doesn't rely on any extra software, and today Vodafone says it'll be using a similar approach. So in theory, it'll work quietly in the background with minimal input. Provided you're connected to a WiFi network, calls will switch over automatically when you're out of network coverage.
BT confirms it's bought EE for £12.5 billion
It's been nearly a decade, but BT is officially returning to mobile. After months of talks, the landline and broadband giant has confirmed it will pay £12.5 billion to acquire EE, the UK's biggest operator. In an announcement, BT said it intends to provide customers with "innovative, seamless services that combine the power of fibre broadband with wi-fi and advanced mobile capabilities," targeting EE customers that don't already use its broadband services and delivering 4G connectivity to BT customers for the first time.
Dixons Carphone is planning its own mobile network too
If Three's owner Hutchison Whampoa successfully buys O2, the pair could wield even greater power in the UK than we thought. Less than a week after Sky announced its plans for an O2-powered mobile network, Dixons Carphone is doing the same -- only it's struck a deal with Three. Details are scarce, but the FT reports the merged retailer will stand out with tariffs that allow customers to easily switch their minutes and data mid-contract. The idea being that if you have 5,000 texts, but find that you're only using half of them each month, you won't have to wait two years before downsizing your contract.
Three and O2 are set to merge in £10.25 billion deal
Whereas before it was just a rumour, now it's official: Hutchison Whampoa is in talks to buy O2 from Telefonica. The Hong Kong-based company, owner of Three UK, has confirmed that it's entered "exclusive negotiations" to buy its rival's mobile network for £10.25 billion. While the deal is by no means complete, it signals yet another sea change in the UK telecoms industry. BT is already in talks to buy EE for £12.5 billion, which would give it greater influence as a quad-play provider. Meanwhile, if Three and O2 were to join forces, it would give them the biggest mobile subscriber base in the UK, putting further pressure on EE and Vodafone, the latter of which is yet to make such a bold move of its own.
Three will finally offer free roaming in Spain from April 1st
With Feel at Home, Three offers a roaming plan that rivals are finding hard to compete with. Customers can already access free data in 16 countries, including the USA and France, but Britain's favourite holiday destination, Spain, has been noticeably absent. Luckily, that will change from April 1st, after Three announced that it's extending free calls, texts and internet to España and New Zealand. So, whether you're taking a relaxing trip to the mainland or revelling on one of Spain's sun-soaked islands, the carrier now has you covered.
UK carriers agree £5 billion coverage improvements to avoid 'national roaming'
Ever since the notion of national roaming first appeared back in June, the UK government and the four major mobile operators have fought over how best to rid Britain of so-called "not-spots." Culture Secretary Sajid Javid wanted to implement a system where customers would be able to switch to an alternative network if their own wasn't available, but carriers argued that it would slow network expansions in rural areas, push up investment costs and potentially pass on that cost to subscribers. However, after months of talks, there's finally some good news to report -- plans for national roaming have now been scrapped, after EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three vowed to pump £5 billion into the UK's mobile infrastructure.
Three finally shares how many of its customers are using 4G
Three is a little different from the other major UK networks, because all of its contracts come with 4G coverage as standard. EE, O2 and Vodafone have dedicated LTE plans, allowing us to easily gauge the interest in its ultra-fast offerings, but for Three, where any customer can fall into a patch of 4G, it's trickier to quantify. The company has been quiet up until now, but today it's finally shared some figures: since switching on its 4G network a year ago, 3.1 million customers have benefited from the faster speeds. That means over a third of Three's 8 million subscribers have wandered into an area supported by its 4G network, which now covers 48 percent of the UK population. If you're keeping score, EE is out in front with 6 million 4G subscribers, followed by O2 with 3 million and Vodafone with 1.4 million. Although Three's numbers aren't directly comparable, they're still a useful yardstick.
Three UK owner considers fighting BT to buy EE or O2
It's no secret that BT is eyeing a return to the mobile market, by way of either EE or O2, but its movement may have come at a cost. According to Reuters, BT's intentions have caught of attention of Hutchison Whampoa, owner of the UK's fourth biggest operator Three, which is now said to be readying a bid for one of the two mobile providers. BT will reportedly decide its course of action in the coming weeks, which could prompt rival bids from Chinese company.
Three kicks off same-day smartphone deliveries in London
Christmas is coming, and that might mean it's time to treat yourself or a loved-one to a phone upgrade. To get customers signing on with Three, the UK network has begun trialling a same-day delivery service in London, removing the need to walk into a store or wait around for an online order. Next-day deliveries are notoriously expensive but, similar to Amazon and Argos, Three hopes to stand apart with even faster shipments. The offer is restricted to "selected postcodes" and only covers the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S5, so the chances of you using it are probably pretty slim. Although you can check online to see if your address is eligible, Three requires that you call between 7AM and 3PM to actually complete an order. If approved, you'll be charged £15 for the privilege and should have a shiny new smartphone sitting on your doorstep before 6PM. Of course, if the trial is successful, there's always a chance Three will expand it to new areas and handsets, eradicating gadget lust for those of us just too busy (or lazy) to venture into town and speak to a rep.
Ofcom's first 4G survey shows that speed isn't everything
All of Britain's major mobile networks have been offering 4G for a while now, but because all have their own infrastructure, speeds and coverage can vary wildly. Each carrier is quick to boast their own statistics, but thanks to Ofcom's first ever 4G research report (which tested networks in five of the biggest UK cities) we're finally able to separate fact from fiction. EE and O2 took first and second place in the all-important average download speed test, reaching 18.4Mbps and 15.6Mbps respectively, while Three claimed victory for the time needed to load a simple webpage. The carrier, which was originally a 3G-only operator and the last to offer its customers 4G connectivity, also took the gold medal for latency, which is crucial for video calls and apps that require fast response times.
National roaming: why mobile operators are fighting the UK government
The concept of national roaming first appeared back in June, when Culture Secretary Sajid Javid began advocating a system that would allow UK mobiles to switch networks in places where the carrier they're supposed to be on offers no signal. The idea is to rid Britain of so-called mobile "not-spots," rural areas where populations are small and coverage is minimal, by coercing the major carriers to share their networks with each other. The government recently launched a consultation to explore ways it can achieve this goal. Operators, however, have been vociferous in their opposition to the plans. What's their excuse?
Ofcom to expand 4G in the UK with new spectrum auction next year
The UK's four main carriers may steadily be building up their 4G coverage, but regulators don't want to leave the future of Britain's superfast networks to chance. UK communications regulator Ofcom today announced that it intends to auction more 4G spectrum late next year (or early 2016), giving operators to opportunity to expand their LTE networks with more high data capacity spectrum. It expects to raise between £50 and £70 million from the sale, which will then line the pockets of the government.
Ofcom slaps Three with a £250,000 fine for failing to handle customer complaints
While Three is currently the UK's fastest-growing network, it certainly can't rest on its laurels. In fact, it's just been given a sharp wake-up call, after Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, handed the carrier a £250,000 fine over its inadequate handling of customer grievances. According to the watchdog, Three closed complaints before they were fully resolved and was guilty of not logging complaint calls from customers when it should have done. While it now has to hand over a cool quarter of a million to appease Ofcom (which is then absorbed by the Treasury), Three has apparently sorted out its internal processes and is now compliant with regulations -- good news if you enjoy the carrier's unlimited tariffs but weren't so impressed by its customer service.
EE tries to upstage its rivals with improved pay-as-you-go tariffs
When you're the biggest 4G player in the UK, logic dictates that you don't let your rivals hog the limelight for too long. EE's well aware of this, so just a few days after Vodafone finally joined the 4G pay-as-you-go party, it's decided to improve the value of its pre-paid top-ups in an attempt to distance it from the competition. The new options cover three categories -- Talk and Text, Data and Everything -- letting you decide which of those usage models fits your needs best, possibly stopping you from paying for services you won't use. It's also dropped the lowest PAYG top-up to £1, which includes 100MB of data lasting seven days, in the hope it'll lure in even the most budget-conscious mobile user. Finally, it's ensuring you're rewarded for your loyalty by throwing in an extra 250MB of data, 50 minutes of calls to any network or 250 additional texts to customers who've not missed a top-up for three months. It's even created a comparison guide detailing how its new packs perform against rival offerings, just in case O2 and co. weren't already looking on enviously.
Three's smartphone app for calling and texting over WiFi now available
Three and EE jostled for attention last month when they announced, on the same day, their customers would soon be able to make calls and send texts over WiFi connections. While EE is working on a fancy system the user will be all but oblivious to, Three's following O2's lead with an app that does the necessary handover work. Slightly ahead of schedule, Three's inTouch app has now launched for Android and iOS devices -- just in time to take advantage of the carrier's newest customer perk: free Tube WiFi. As you'd expect, calls made and messages sent over WiFi are deducted from your normal monthly allowances or pay-as-you-go credit. Unfortunately, inTouch won't work in countries not covered by Three's Feel at Home free roaming service, but it's something the network is looking into.
Three customers will soon get free WiFi on the Tube
After installing WiFi throughout the London underground and allowing free access during the 2012 Olympics and well beyond, Virgin Media eventually began charging for the service to recoup some of the investment. EE and Vodafone struck a deal to keep it free for their mobile customers before that solemn day even arrived, and O2 followed suit before too long. Apparently, Three didn't fancy jumping on the bandwagon then, but has just announced its patrons will be able to enjoy the same level of complementary connectivity by the end of the July. In early August, Three also plans to launch a new app called InTouch that'll allow you to call and text over WiFi (O2's Tu Go app lets you do the same), making even Tube platforms a stage for your loud and witty banter.
Carphone Warehouse could launch its own mobile network with Three's help
Carphone Warehouse, like Phones 4u, is a retailer and reseller in one -- it's just as interested in flogging phones and tablets as it is setting you up with a mobile contract from any of the major UK carriers. According to The Financial Times, however, it might soon be getting into the carrier business itself, by launching an MVNO on Three's network. Carphone Warehouse has already partnered with Vodafone to resell low-cost contracts under the Talkmobile brand, though the network operator deals with all customers at its end. Sources claim various carriers have been approached as the now-merged Carphone Warehouse and Dixons look for new opportunities, but discussions with Three are at a more advanced stage.
UK's major carriers want to end mobile deadspots in England's National Parks
Whether you live in, work in or are just visiting one of England's National Parks, you may soon be able to take advantage of better mobile signal. The UK's four major carriers have extended their partnership with National Parks England to deliver better connectivity while protecting the environment and picturesque views in 10 parks across the country. Under the terms of the new accord, the Mobile Operators Association (which represents EE, O2, Vodafone and Three) will allow the sharing of mobile masts, sites and "any other technical advances," keeping development in rural areas to a minimum. It also covers the provision of 4G networks, which could be a boon for the 330,000 people living in England's National Parks, as they have the potential to reach places that broadband connections can't.
Three scraps 0800 charges but kills unlimited tethering on SIM-only plans
Even though it has roughly a year until Ofcom's new rule comes into effect, Three has decided it will no longer charge SIM-only customers for making calls to 0800 numbers. The company today unveiled new plans that mirror its pay-monthly handset tariffs, finally making freephone calls free and capping calls to other 08 numbers at 5 pence per minute. Starting at £7 per month for 500MB and 200 minutes, rising to £23 per month for unlimited data and calls, Three's new 12-month SIM-only plans also include access to Feel At Home, letting you enjoy free roaming in 16 countries.
