From BBC Business News:





Could this spell the end of T-Mobile UK?

I am fairly sure the monopolies and mergers people would block this.

And bang goes decent cheap data rates if this goes ahead.

I didn't think Voda's data rates were too bad (£7.50 for 500MB), and I'm sick to death of the poor and extremely patchy coverage from T.

The end of T-mobile and big trouble for 3.

People I know high up in Vodafone are confident that OFFCOM will approve the take over within the next week, but they will have to end the MBNL agreement with 3. As 3 have moved a good few of their sites into T-mobiles cabins and Vodafone will swap T-mobiles 3G network out to Ericsson equipment, 3 will have big problems.

Vodafone will have around 45% of the UK market and this will probably lead to a 20% increase in bills and as such greater revenue for government, so I don't expect the deal to be blocked.

The price is said to be around £3bn, a bargain.

Humph -- will this mean significant improvements in T's coverage / signal? Or will we be stuck with the current tripe which has major difficulties with walls etc?

Here's hoping...

The networks will be intergrated, they will probably lose some sites, but you will get coverage from the nearest T-mobile or Vodafone site. It may take time but it will all become one network. T-mobile will be no more.

You will have either 900Mhz or 1800Mhz coverage and probabaly both, 900 will inprove indoor coverage. 3G will be the same, but the new combined Vodafone will have 3 whole frequencies and a smaller chunk. In all but large cities, Vodafone are only using one frequency, so with existing 3G equipment they could migrate T-mobiles 3G into there existing infrastructure, long term to use all three frequencies, they would need to fit new equipment. They could do the same with 2G.

If it goes through you should see an improvement, but you will be a Vodafone customer, they won't keep the T-mobile brand.

Hope the same happens to t-mobile holland as that has one of the worst networks here , as for merging vodafone would keep the masts where thier own coverage is poor and t-mobiles coverage is better so in a way you will gain better coverage , it should be better coverage wise , but here in holland t-mobile bought orange and then sold all the masts to kpn and vodafone as they needed the money to cover the huge losses, this was due to orange customers not joining t-mobile as they had hoped , vodafone is huge and can afford the costs , least one thing the new t-mobile uk helpdesk in india will be shut down and you will get a real english person on the line to complain to as for 3 they will be ok as vodafone will find that income usefull as 3 will use the old t-mobile freq , but as for it not going through it will if its true due to the current problems for companies , t-mobile took over orange without a problem and became the second network in holland till people left and joined vodafone

Has anyone heard any further news on this?

I found this today (originally posted to lawdit reading room on 22 July)

And there's a more wordy (but better explained) version from The Register.

Still no definitive "Yay" or "Nay" though...

No they won't, Vodafone will use it, that is what they are trying to buy T-mobile for, without the frequency, they would send their own network into congestion. Not much point then.

3 will continue to use their own bandwidth.

It seems that Ofcom would be happy for the UK to drop to 3 operators and 3 would be the likely next casualty. Either snapped up by O2 or Orange.

3 have been left in the position were they really have only one choice, a counter bid for T-mobile.

I guess if Ofcom are likely to be happy, will the monopolies commission get involved? If not, I wish they'd get on with it... I'm looking forward to that 900MHz freq becoming available

Well -- having looked at my Touch HD, I guess I should say 800 / 850 MHz for UMTS. It looks like the 900MHz is GSM only?

Whichever way up, I just want a decent data signal inside a building!

The frequency bands are what this is all about. Ofcom have stated that the use of each ban will not be fixed in the future. So Vodafone could use 900Mhz for UMTS or for that matter 1800Mhz. The most likely is that they will use 1800Mhz as a GSM network and then use 1800Mhz and 2100Mhz for 3g.

On a side note, T-mobile are installing quite a few new 3g sites in the north and midlands.

I don't remember ever having this signal loss issue when I was on Orange some years ago - even the local pub with walls 3-feet thick used to get a reasonable amount 3G.

Sure T will get it right one day...