T Mobile to leave UK.

[Stuart]

It would seem so, if their two major shareholders get their way..

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05...oning_blighty/

[altis]

Hmmm... could be interesting!

I think that Virgin Mobile actually runs over the T-Mobile network.

edit
Indeed:
http://about.virginmobile.com/aboutus/about/history/

Virgin Mobile launched its operations as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in November 1999. As we are an MVNO, we operate a virtual network providing a broad range of mobile communications services to our customers over T-Mobile's network under our non-exclusive, minimum ten year term, telecommunications supply agreement with T-Mobile, signed in January 2004.

[Russ]

If 3 take over I think I'll slit my wrists.

[brundles]

Originally Posted by altis

Hmmm... could be interesting!

I think that Virgin Mobile actually runs over the T-Mobile network.

edit
Indeed:
http://about.virginmobile.com/aboutus/about/history/

To be honest, Virgin Mobile probably haven't helped matters wrt the Register story. I vaguely remember reading something a year or so ago that they had managed to get a contract that was essentially loss making for T-Mobile and refused to budge as they had no reason to. I'll have to do some digging to find it though...

[Jimmy-J]

Originally Posted by Russ B

If 3 take over I think I'll slit my wrists.

Don't forget to upload it on you tube!

[Russ]

http://financialadvice.co.uk/news/3/...e-persist.html

Possible merger with orange?

[barby81]

Hmmm wonder how much they paid for that Prime time 4 minute advert on Britains Got Talent last nite?

think a merger with Orange is likely. 3 may be small in the UK but they are owned by massive asian super company who won't want to merge.

[m419]

YAY! I'm so glad! That means I will get much better reception on 3 if it goes ahead.

---------- Post added at 19:23 ---------- Previous post was at 18:13 ----------

Originally Posted by Russ B

If 3 take over I think I'll slit my wrists.

3 well Hutchison is actually a good company and network,however,it is still relatively new and the other networks experienced this in the 90's.

3 has encountered problems:

Not being able to install masts due to petitions from local communities,there is still insufficient evidence that masts are a health hazzard.

Goverment intereference forcing the company to expand and to run before it walks.

In the other countries it operates in including its Orange operations in some countries, it has not encountered these problems and has good coverage and a good track record, Britain has always been like that,just look at the Cable and pay-tv market and Music industry!

If 3 takes over T-Mobile UK, 3 will be taking on:

a 2.5G network which covers 98% of the UK
A 3G network that already covers 70% of the UK.
UK Call centres! Can you really see 3 giving everyone the sack? Of course there will be many job losses,but they will keep some call centres.

T-Mobile customers will benefit from the following:

Cheaper rates
Wider 3G coverage
Better Mobile Internet and Internet content such as Skype

Existing 3 customers will benefit from:

A 2.5G network
A wider 3G coverage
And maybe cheaper rates
And maybe UK call centres

3 will have more 3G masts and it will have a strong 2.5G back up.

Virgin Mobile customers will also benefit from better 3G services as I beleive Hutchison 3G was working with Telewest and had a good relationship.

3 will also save on costs too, at the moment it depends Orange's 2.5G network for back up, well Hutchison 3G will no longer have to subsidise that, which means it will have more money for itself.

So if they do merge, it will mean Britain will have a perfect 3G network fit for the 21st Century!

It is definately a good idea though because I mean both network users will benefit from improved network coverage, At the moment the network coverage on both networks is average.

If this does happen, it is likely that O2 UK would be swallowed up in time, O2's 3G coverage only covers around 60%.

[Russ]

All that pales in to insignificance if you've ever had to call 3's "thank you please" customer service.

[chickendippers]

God, I hope they don't merge with Orange. I left them 2 years ago because their customer service was atrocious; even 3's Indian call centres are better! Orange always manage to finish bottom of broadband surveys and their phone support is exactly the same.

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by Russ B

All that pales in to insignificance if you've ever had to call 3's "thank you please" customer service.

Quite - I was hoping I was well rid of them.

[brundles]

Originally Posted by m419

YAY! I'm so glad! That means I will get much better reception on 3 if it goes ahead.

---------- Post added at 19:23 ---------- Previous post was at 18:13 ----------

<snip>

Firstly, sorry to snip the quote!

In terms of your coverage on 3 if they merged/bought T-Mobile, sorry it's not that simple, Networks are engineered to a certain level and dumping 3 subscribers onto the T-Mobile infrastructure would probably cause enough problems to annoy both sets of customers so that's not likely to happen. I suspect the best you could hope from (eventually) would be that new subscribers get placed against the infrastructure that has the most spare capacity.

For T-Mobile subscribers on more expensive tarrifs that 3 offers - reductions won't happen. Why would 3 reduce the contract price when they can reap the profits from it?

Also, Virgin Mobile customers won't benefit from anything that's not in the contract between T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile. 3 aren't going to offer something for free that would benefit a competitor brand.

The instant improvement sounds nice from a subscriber perspective, but given most of the phones are locked down to the network they were bought on to try and protect revenue streams that's not likely to happen.

[DRZ400]

Three, T-Mobile, and Vodafone have outsourced their field operations to Ericsson .. A merger with Orange is unlikely.

A merger with Three however........

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by m419

YAY! I'm so glad! That means I will get much better reception on 3 if it goes ahead.

---------- Post added at 19:23 ---------- Previous post was at 18:13 ----------



3 well Hutchison is actually a good company and network,however,it is still relatively new and the other networks experienced this in the 90's.

Actually, it's not that much newer than the other companies. Apart from Vodafone and Cellnet/O2 they were all formed in the early 90s. 3 initially started in the late 90s/early 2000s.

And remember, when dealing with 3G, *all* the companies have relatively new networks. It just that (amongst my friends anyway), 3s is considerably more unreliable than any others.

3 has encountered problems:

Not being able to install masts due to petitions from local communities,there is still insufficient evidence that masts are a health hazzard.

Goverment intereference forcing the company to expand and to run before it walks.

Again, all the networks have experienced both of those.

In the other countries it operates in including its Orange operations in some countries, it has not encountered these problems and has good coverage and a good track record, Britain has always been like that,just look at the Cable and pay-tv market and Music industry!

What on earth has the music industry go to do with it?

If 3 takes over T-Mobile UK, 3 will be taking on:

a 2.5G network which covers 98% of the UK
A 3G network that already covers 70% of the UK.
UK Call centres! Can you really see 3 giving everyone the sack? Of course there will be many job losses,but they will keep some call centres.

Yes, I can, if they feel it will save money. Remember, they had the option to use UK call centres initially. They didn't.

---------- Post added at 00:10 ---------- Previous post was at 00:06 ----------

Originally Posted by brundles

Firstly, sorry to snip the quote!

In terms of your coverage on 3 if they merged/bought T-Mobile, sorry it's not that simple, Networks are engineered to a certain level and dumping 3 subscribers onto the T-Mobile infrastructure would probably cause enough problems to annoy both sets of customers so that's not likely to happen. I suspect the best you could hope from (eventually) would be that new subscribers get placed against the infrastructure that has the most spare capacity.

For T-Mobile subscribers on more expensive tarrifs that 3 offers - reductions won't happen. Why would 3 reduce the contract price when they can reap the profits from it?

Also, Virgin Mobile customers won't benefit from anything that's not in the contract between T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile. 3 aren't going to offer something for free that would benefit a competitor brand.

The instant improvement sounds nice from a subscriber perspective, but given most of the phones are locked down to the network they were bought on to try and protect revenue streams that's not likely to happen.

Also bear in that while one network may well have more 3G coverage than the other, a *lot* of the areas will be duplicated between the two networks, especially in towns and cities.

Yes, the merger will be nice for some people. It's doubtful it'll be nice for the subscribers though.

[brundles]

Originally Posted by DRZ400

Three, T-Mobile, and Vodafone have outsourced their field operations to Ericsson .. A merger with Orange is unlikely.

A merger with Three however........

The outsourcing of the infrastructure maintenance is (IMO) pretty much irrelevant. Ignoring the engineering limitations of the individual networks i mentioned earlier, the changes required on the network side are significant enough that E// would ask for a bundle of cash to make those changes - which in itself rules out the subscriber friendly merger in the current climate.

---------- Post added at 00:16 ---------- Previous post was at 00:13 ----------

Originally Posted by Stuart C

Also bear in that while one network may well have more 3G coverage than the other, a *lot* of the areas will be duplicated between the two networks, especially in towns and cities.

Yes, the merger will be nice for some people. It's doubtful it'll be nice for the subscribers though.

That's true. And given 3's backup for anything they couldn't cover was O2, the first cost-saving measure would be to knock that on the head and have it as T-Mobile. Which brings us back to my earlier comment on the impact of that on the T-Mobile network and it annoying more subscribers than it helps...