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BskyB is acquiring Telefonica UK's landline and home broadband services. The deal, claimed to be worth around £200 million ($307 million) will see Sky become the second largest Internet service provider in the country, thanks to the addition of an extra 500,000 customers from Telefonica's Internet services, O2 and BE.
UK regulator Ofcom has issued rules for the upcoming 4G spectrum auction in the country. The newly-released timetable will see network operators such as Vodafone and O2 submit bids for spectrum from January onwards, with the combined reserve prices for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz ranges being auctioned totaling over £1.3 billion ($2 billion).
The UK may have a quicker overall rollout of faster mobile network services than previously thought. Mobile carriers Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone, and Three have stopped their legal threats, and have joined together to create a company specifically to aid in deploying LTE services in the 800MHz band by clearing it of TV signals.
O2 and HTC will sell a future phone without the charger bundled in the box. According to Pocket Lint, the pilot scheme between the phone manufacturer and the UK carrier seeks to reduce the number of "wasted" charger in circulation, forcing customers to use existing chargers for other devices, a USB port on a computer, or to buy a charger separately.
UK mobile network O2 has brought out its Pocket Hotspot. The MiFi device, like many others, enables up to five devices to go online simultaneously, connecting to the hotspot over 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. The carrier claims maximum download speed can reach up to 21.6Mbps, while upload speeds peak at 5.76Mbps.
Mobile carriers Vodafone UK and Telefonica UK (known as O2) are going to work together to create a shared network grid, the two companies have announced. The combined efforts of the two networks will see an increased coverage area for both companies in the short term, and a smoother national rollout of LTE services, currently aimed for the year 2015. LTE or "4G" services, currently nonexistent in the UK, could be rolled out quicker by the carriers working in concert.
Nokia launched the Lumia 610 smartphone in the UK on Wednesday. As the company's entry-level Windows Phone-powered device, it has just 256MB of RAM and is relegated to Windows Phone 7.5. Major UK carriers and retailers including Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Three, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4u will sell the phone starting at just £15 (about $23) per month on a contract, with no money down.
On May 16, British mobile telecom carrier O2 announced that they are building out a DC-HSPA wireless network capable of 42Mbps wireless downloads in the UK's largest cities. Samsung has jumped on board the effort by announcing yesterday that the Samsung Galaxy S III would connect to the DC-HSPA network. The Galaxy S III is expected to launch in the UK on May 29.
UK wireless provider O2 has shared some results from its ongoing 4G LTE tests in London. Involving 1,000 consumers and businesses, some have reported reaching speeds as high as 150Mbps, which is on par with some top-rung home Internet offerings and the theoretical peak of LTE. A more representative number range was the average of between 20 and 50Mbps, however.
RIM's former co-CEO Jim Balsillie had proposed using BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) servers to provide data for non-BlackBerry hardware shortly before he resigned his position, new leaks uncovered on Friday. The method outlined to Reuters would have let carriers offer Android and iPhone devices with cheaper data plans that limited Internet access to chat (possibly BlackBerry Messenger) and social networks, much like entry BlackBerry plans do today. RIM would presumably have made money from leasing access to carriers eager to get more smartphone customers and offload some of their bandwidth needs.
Despite approving a deal for Everything Everywhere's proposed 4G network, UK regulator Ofcom has given competing networks more time to comment on the proposal. The extension was done at the request of stakeholders, and was pushed back from April 17 until May 8 of this year. Vodafone and O2 have filed complaints that suggest the new spectrum would give Everything Everywhere an unfair advantage by being the first to get to the market.
O2's UK division posted on Twitter what might have been an inadvertent confirmation of the launch date of the HTC One X. The quad-core phone was due to come in on April 5, roughly fitting in with HTC's early spring target. Prices and rates for the phone hadn't been set.
Possible slips may have revealed the first stages of a possible European Commission investigation into the continent's top five carriers. The FT heard from sources that Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile), France Telecom (Orange), Telecom Italia, Telefonica (O2), and Vodafone were under scrutiny for a series of "E5" meetings on the state of the industry. Concerns existed that they had used the discussion to possibly collude on prices and policies, hurting competition.
T-Mobile's parent company Deutsche Telekom may be looking to offload T-Mobile UK after AT&T dropped its bid for T-Mobile USA, insiders asserted Wednesday. Tips to Bloomberg had it in the early phases of considering a British "exit" now that AT&T's $39 billion proposal had been deemed anti-competitive. The choices could include anything from letting Orange UK take over the other half of the Everything Everywhere partnership to an outside company.
O2 UK has quietly solved or at least mitigated a major security breach on Wednesday. Following a discovery by Lewis Peckover that O2 was sending mobile subscribers' phone numbers in the clear through their web browser user agent, O2 claimed that it was cleared up. The company explained that it normally sent phone number information to "certain trusted partners" for age verifications and carrier billing, but this information had started going out to other sites by accident.
Carrier IQ's problems mounted dramatically on Thursday after Senator Al Franken sent a letter to the company demanding answers as to the company's extensive phone logging practices. He was concerned that Carrier IQ might be violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the pen register statute, and Stored Communications Act by recording without consent not just diagnostic information but phone numbers, text messages, web addresses, and the location. Carrier IQ's earlier denials that it wasn't tracking keystrokes or personal content were "especially concerning" given evidence showing just the the opposite, Franken said.
Early benchmarks of the Galaxy Nexus have shown it to be the first Android phone that can outperform an iPhone 4S on the web. The AnandTech tests show that Google's late addition of dual-core processor support gave the phone the edge over Apple both in the SunSpider JavaScript test and Rightware's BrowserMark. The only other Android device to get close, the Droid RAZR, slightly won in one test but lost in another.
(Update: not worldwide) Google has just informed The Verge that the Galaxy Nexus will be "pretty much everywhere" beginning Monday, November 21. This likely means a launch in Canada and the US among other countries, making North Americans wait an extra weekend compared to UK buyers. The UK version is LTE-less, just like the Canadian version, while the US phone will have an LTE radio onboard.
UK wireless carrier O2 has said that it will soon begin trials for 4G LTE network services in the greater London area. O2 plans to deploy the service in a 40 square mile area and give users as much as 100Mbps downstream. The trials will begin later this month and last for the next nine months.
UK carrier O2 today announced it plans to trial a VoIP service for its mobile phone customers. Called O2 Connect, the Skype-like service will allow smartphone users to use voice and text services over a Wi-Fi network from their mobile device, and call or send a message to any UK mobile or landline number. The app initially will be available on iOS devices and Android smartphones.
On cue, the online Apple Store and numerous carriers including AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon have begun taking online preorders for the iPhone 4S. The picks include carrier-locked models as well as the full-price but unlocked GSM versions for those who want to switch carriers or avoid early cancellation fees.
Intel and Samsung partly confirmed rumors by unveiling Tizen. The effective successor to MeeGo still uses Linux as an open-source foundation for a mobile OS but is focused on a much broader coalition of LiMo supporters that includes Japanese phone makers NEC Casio and Panasonic Mobile, OS developer Access, and carriers NTT DoCoMo, SK Telecom, Telefonica (O2), and Vodafone. The group will focus more on HTML5- and Wholesale Applications Community-based apps that can run on MeeGo and can share much of their code for other platforms and devices.
Twitter has upgraded the direct messaging capabilities for its texting service. Now, in addition to tweets, users whose service providers support MMS can attach and share videos. To send, all a user need do is enter the text of a tweet as normal, attach a photo to the message, and send it to the relevant Twitter code.
The largest wireless spectrum auction in the UK may be pushed back to the spring of 2012, according to a Tuesday report. The country's regulator, Ofcom, blamed the delay on many technical and legal issues. The potential delay is at least three months later than originally planned, though Ofcom added it has always said the original timescale was ambitious.
UK regulator Ofcom proposed on Friday that paid smartphone content bought through a carrier's site should be regulated by carriers and not PhonepayPlus, as it is currently. The content on an industry-owned Payforit gateway should be overseen by PhonepayPlus, it continued. Wireless providers asked Ofcom to look into the matter, but they didn't want Payforit content to be regulated.
The three largest UK wireless providers that include O2, Vodafone and Everything Everywhere have announced they will join forces to offer mobile wallet services to customers. According to MocoNews, the three will offer a cross-platform solution to banks, merchants, advertisers and other marketing partners to get the technology and its widespread use off the ground. The cooperation seems to be just what NFC needs, as the hardware is becoming increasingly available, with many of the Android-powered handsets getting it and the OS itself coming with the needed software hooks.
O2 UK dealt a symbolic hit to RIM on Thursday after it shot down any plans to carry the current BlackBerry PlayBook. Customers who had shown interest in the tablet have been told that the British carrier "will not be selling the device" for what it implied was the rushed state of the software. There were "some issues with the end to end customer experience," it said.
As suspected, Microsoft's first wave of NoDo updates to carrier-locked Windows Phone 7 devices has started reaching phones. Both of T-Mobile USA's phones, the Dell Venue Pro and the HTC HD7, are getting the update immediately. All WP7 hardware on Orange UK and 3 UK should also be getting the upgrade regardless of the make.
O2 UK took a cue from Canadian carriers on Tuesday and dropped the premium tethering fee on its monthly plans. Any of its regular Bolt On plans, including the basic £3 ($4.80) 100MB plan, offer tethering for free. It had previously asked for £7.65 ($12.23) regardless of the tier and often more than doubled the price of data.
In the UK, carrier O2 on Monday detailed plans to double the amount of free Wi-Fi hotspots it offers for its BT Openzone and the Cloud services. The carrier is seeing much more demand for data while on the go from smartphones. The provider will focus the Wi-Fi zones in areas such as high streets, public transport and stadiums.
New hints have suggested Microsoft plans to push its NoDo update to carrier-locked phones on Tuesday, March 29. The company's first wave would include at least Orange UK and Canada's Telus as well as a handful of unnamed other carriers, WinRumors heard. A second wave would take place on April 5, which would bring in at least O2 and Vodafone.
O2 UK on Friday said it would delay the launch of the Xperia Play past its original April 1 target. Internal testing had shown "some bugs" that would sour the experience for early buyers. It was collaborating with Sony Ericsson to make sure they were fixed and still left a window open for an April 1 launch if they were fixed in time.
O2 UK on Friday said it was the first British carrier to use 3G on the 900MHz band. A green light from telecom regulator Ofcom has given HSPA and UMTS devices that will work on the lower frequency, including the iPad 2 and iPhone 4, as much as a 30 percent faster download rate. The greater room created by the frequency has also led to an immediate 50 percent capacity upgrade.
Wireless provider O2 Germany, through a tweet, has confirmed it will begin offering the HP Veer. It has become the first to commit to the webOS device, which is the smallest to date and the first to ship with webOS 2.1. The Veer will sport an 800MHz CPU and support 7.2Mbps HSPA for 3G.
The webOS 2.1 firmware for the Pre Plus handset has now been made available for download in Germany, despite HP saying earlier this month it won't upgrade older handsets to the firmware. This includes the Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi and Pixi Plus, and HP may still stand by its decision, as it's just carrier O2 that is upgrading the Pre Plus and no one else, at least thus far.
UK wireless carrier O2 communicated over Twitter that it will be the exclusive provider of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play smartphone in white. Other carriers that will get the so-called PlayStation phone include Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone in the UK as well Rogers exclusively in Canada. In the US, it will arrive at Verizon sometime in the spring.
The Xperia Play handset has been confirmed as coming to several carriers on Monday, including Orange, T-Mobile, O2 and Vodafone in the UK. In Canada, the phone will be exclusive to Rogers, according to MobileSyrup. Orange and T-Mobile UK have also confirmed they should have the PlayStation phone, has has O2, though no release date is known for Canada.
UK wireless provider O2 on Wednesday said it will launch a nationwide Wi-Fi network. The premium hotspots will be managed with the help of venue owners and be open for all customers to use for free, no matter what network they subscribe to. By 2013, 13,000 hotspots will be in place, O2 promises, but the rollout will begin this March at 450 O2 shops and offices.
As promised last week, HTC's Pro 7 smartphone is now available at carrier O2 in Germany. HTC's first Windows Phone 7 device with a QWERTY hardware keyboard sports a 3.6-inch, 800x480 touchscreen, 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and a five-megapixel camera capable of recording 720p video. Pricing is also the same as promised, with a contract price of 22.50 Euros per month and 29 Euros down. The two are the equivalent of $29 per month and $37, respectively.
Through a Twitter posting, carrier O2 Germany revealed the HTC 7 Pro will arrive in its stores, confirming an earlier report. The posting also reveals the pricing scheme for O2, set at 29 euros when paired with a 22.50 euro per month, two-year contract. The rate equates to $37 and a subscription fee of $29.
The HTC 7 Pro unveiled this fall will arrive at German provider O2 in January, the handset's product page has given away. Its version of the Windows Phone 7 device will logically use GSM and will sport the distinctive hardware QWERTY keyboard behind its 3.6-inch, 800x480 display. Also onboard is the needed 1GHz Snapdragon chip and a five-megapixel camera.
Canadian carrier Rogers and its sub-brand Fido have brought back a system that would let customers more officially unlock iPhones after the sale, a possible leak of its strategy has uncovered. As part of a broader move that would let any subscriber out when out of contract, Rogers has let users get an unlock by calling its help line and having them contact Apple. Once greenlit, the phone needs only to be restored in iTunes to remove the restrictions, iPhone in Canada was told by Fido user Argun Tekant.
Nokia today detailed special environmentally friendly editions of both the C7 and N8. Both devices come with green apps and details of the phone's ecological footprint but also have improvements on the contents. Either Symbian^3 phone has a more minimal, recyclable box, a single-page guide that saves paper, and a more efficient power charger.
Apple's rumored decision to avoid embedded SIMs may have only been for the 2011 refresh, sources argued Tuesday. The company has purportedly reassured European carriers that the iPhone 5 will still depend on removable micro SIM cards but has given signs that it would shift over later on. Tips to the Financial Times didn't reveal whether that meant 2012 or still-longer plans.
European carriers are discussing the possibility of retaliating against Apple if it goes ahead with a rumored plan to use embedded SIMs in iPhones, leaks from the industry alleged Thursday night. The parent companies of O2, Orange and Vodafone have reportedly been worried that Apple was trying to take control of the "relationship" the carriers have by letting customers buy without having to talk to the carrier. An unnamed executive at one of the companies told the Financial Times that Apple could risk a "war" if carriers decided to stop subsidizing the iPhone on contract.
HTC has had stronger sales than it expected for its Windows Phone 7 devices in the launches so far, Taiwan-area phone makers claimed on Wednesday. Phones like the HD7 and 7 Mozart were already selling out at O2 Germany and Australia's Telstra respectively. Low supply problems were a factor, but there was also surprise interest, they told Digitimes.
European wireless provider O2 just announced that it will ship Samsung's Galaxy Tab on November 1. The teaser page for the Android-powered tablet is now up, though no specifics such as pricing are revealed. The provider is touting the fact that subscribers will have free access to thousands of BT Openzone and The Cloud Wi-Fi hotspots as part of their monthly plan.
Online music shop 7digital has submitted an iPhone app for sale at the App Store. A representative from the company notes that the title is "still with Apple," in fact, and that "positive discussions" are taking place between the companies. It is unclear when or even if the app will be approved, as it may violate App Store policies.
O2 and Vodafone have both announced plans to sell the iPhone 4 in Germany, according to Dow Jones. Launches should take place within the next few weeks, although subscription plans and pricing details have yet to be revealed. The news marks the end of a contract between Apple and T-Mobile, which has given the latter party exclusive rights to carry the German iPhone since 2007.
HTC kicked off Windows Phone 7 in large fashion today with three models that will go beyond the US. The 7 Mozart is an international version of the HD7 for T-Mobile and shares its 3.7-inch touchscreen along with an eight-megapixel camera, 720p video and 8GB of space. It uses an original 1GHz Snapdragon chip and a unibody aluminum shell much like the earlier Legend.
