The first publicly funded Shared Rural Network (SRN) Total Not Spot site has been switched on. The new site delivers 4G to areas that previously had no mobile broadband coverage from any operator. The development provides 4G coverage from all UK mobile operators, significantly enhancing connectivity for residents, businesses, and tourists. The mast on South […]

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally found that a multi-billion-pound commitment to upgrade the merged company’s network across the UK, including the roll-out of 5G, combined with short-term customer protections could solve competition concerns identified in September 2024 and allow the merger to go ahead. The CMA investigation – led by an […]

UK telcos Vodafone and Three’s response to the UK Competitions and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Notice of Possible Remedies (Remedies Notice) has been published. The pair disagree with the CMA’s Provisional Findings, suggesting the merger will be pro-growth, pro-customer, pro-investment and pro-competitive for the UK. “It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform UK digital infrastructure with […]

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally found the proposed merger between telcos Vodafone and Three to be likely to reduce competition in the sector. In its initial investigation (called a ‘Phase 1 investigation’) which began in January 2024, the CMA found that the merger, which combines two of the four mobile network […]

File downloads take longer on O2 over 4G and 5G than on the other mobile networks, according to new research from regulator Ofcom. Ofcom’s latest Mobile Matters research report puts people’s experiences of using mobile networks across the UK under the microscope, based on crowdsourced data collected between October 2023 and March 2024. Ofcom analysis […]

Communications service providers (CSPs) have experienced substantial consolidation in recent years with 514 mobile and wireline M&A deals worldwide over the 2019-23 period, Omdia’s research shows. There have been more wireline M&A deals than mobile, with 392 wireline and 122 mobile M&A deals over the 2019-23 period. The mobile M&A includes prominent deals such as […]

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has referred the anticipated joint venture between Vodafone Group Plc and CK Hutchison Holdings Limited concerning Vodafone Limited and Hutchison 3G UK Limited for an in-depth investigation, on the basis that, on the information currently available to it, it is or may be the case that this merger […]

Research from UK multiplay telco Virgin Media O2 claims that millions of consumers who have mobile phone contracts with rival telcos EE and Three are set to receive a price rise so-called ‘double whammy’ on bills this year in a move costing Brits tens-of-millions of pounds. Both operators have millions of customers on classic bundled […]

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has suggested that a proposed Vodafone/Three merger, which seeks to combine two of the four UK mobile network operators, could lead to higher prices for customers and affect investment in UK mobile networks. The CMA launched its initial Phase 1 investigation in January 2024 after it was notified […]

The UK government’s plans to extend 4G mobile connectivity and broaden consumer choice in rural areas are behind schedule, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report. Launched in March 2020, the Shared Rural Network (SRN) is a joint programme funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the UK’s four mobile […]