Following the initial talks, Orange and T-Mobile then signed a contract agreement in November further cementing their commitment to the proposed merger. But, from here, it was out of T-Orange’s hands. The deal would need to be verified and approved by the European Commission meaning there was still a major hurdle to jump. Well scratch that as, on Monday, the European Commission gave the UK networks the green light for the proposed merger.

UK consumer groups including the Office of Fair Trading had voiced concerns that the merger would have a negative impact on competition but the Commission claimed that “the commitments offered by the parties remedy the identified competition concerns.”

So, what now? Well, a statement from Orange issued shortly after the European Commission’s announcement noted that Orange and T-Mobile would work on integrating their combined 19,000 workforce. Tom Alexander, currently CEO of Orange UK, will take the helm as Chief Executive whilst Richard Moat, currently CEO of T-Mobile UK, will take on the role of chief operating officer. The board of the new joint venture company will comprise representation from both Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom who own T-Mobile and Orange respectively.

But what does this mean to all you Orange and T-Mobile customers out there? Well, for the immediate future, not alot. It’s expected that the T-Mobile and Orange UK brands will continue to operate independently for at least eighteen months after the merger. Longer term, could we see the iPhone and Orange Wednesdays make the move over to T-Mobile customers? And most pressing of all, what new name, if any, will this new giant adopt? Our money’s on Orange-Mobile (sorry T-Orange) but what do you reckon? Let us know in the comments below and keep an eye on the blog for more news.

A member of Skype’s iPhone Team, David Ponsford, has confirmed that this new service will be coming soon. The decision has come about as Apple have changed the terms of use for developers, such as Skype. Work has been carried out by Skype on the new application to make this work.

The Skype iPhone team have added in a call quality indicator, where you get a green, yellow or red light to signal the current 3G network coverage strength or Wi-Fi connection. iPhone 3G and iPod Touch users can also look forward to CD like sound quality which is another improvement being made via a new software.

Skype calling over 3G networks (officially name to be announced) will be available from the Apple store very soon. Stay tuned for updates!

Vodafone UK CEO Guy Lawrence states “The demand from both consumers and business customers has been phenomenal. They want an outstanding phone on an outstanding network and we’re delivering that”.

When O2 first launched the iPhone they did not release figures, but they have been weighed down by problems with network speed and reliability since the launch, which is exactly what Vodafone are promoting as their strongest asset.

At a CBR event in London, Enterprise Directer Peter Kelly stated “If people are going to deploy smart devices, and specifically the iPhone, it’s really important that you have a network you can trust, a network that’s reliable”.

“We continue to roll out and strengthen our network- more than one thousand new sites were rolled out in the UK last year, and we continue to invest tens and hundreds of millions of pounds in our network this year”.

So what is it that has made the Vodafone iPhone so popular? The tariff options are pretty similar to those of O2 and Orange, with the main difference being texts. for £35+ 18 month contracts and all 24 month contracts users can enjoy unlimited texts which is a lot more appealing than the rather modest 500 on offer from O2 and Orange. If you fancy finding out more about the iPhone 3GS then click here for more info and grab yours today from mobiles.co.uk.

If this is true, then this little bit of kit could be worth its weight in gold to those of us who suffer with a signal that is defeated by bricks and mortar; unfortunately however, this will apparently only work with Vodafone’s 3G network but even so, if it works as well as claimed, hopefully a few other networks will jump on the bandwagon and sort out signal problems.

How much is this magical little box that does what Vodafone alone cannot? Well, apparently if your on a £25 a month contract or more, then it will set you back a one off £50 fee; which when you think about it, is worth it if it means no more having to stand near the closest window, just to get a strong enough 3G signal to check your email? We’re going to go with yes on that.

The second catch? Well, the free texts also do not apply to anyone with a UK mobile living/traveling abroad. What this promotion does allow you to do however, is to text any non-UK resident, with a non-UK based phone, for free, all day long. To be fair to Vodafone, it is a very generous offer; applying to both Pay As You Go customers and Pay Monthly, but it is just a shame that it applies to such a small niche within the market.

To qualify for these free texts? Just simply pick up your Vodafone phone, type out your text and send away.

The data sold seems to be related to upgrading customers, whom were cold called regarding their soon to be ending contracts, which is illegal in this country and at current is punishable by way of fines. The breach is said to be the biggest of its kind on record and testimony to the fact that the punishment for such acts should be upgraded to prison sentencing according to Christopher Graham, the watchdog responsible for safeguarding personal information. We completely agree with Mr Graham on that, anyone caught selling personal data should face prison, i mean after all, not only does it go against Data Protection, but we the consumer also have to suffer at the mercy of annoying salesman phoning at all hours of the day, reason enough on it’s own to lock them up and throw away the key.

When asked to comment, T-Mobile had this to say: “T-Mobile takes the protection of customer information seriously. When it became apparent that contract renewal information was being passed on to third parties without our knowledge, we alerted the Information Commissioner’s Office.” And it seems that the general consensus is for stronger punishment across the board for these rogue companies operating in what was described as a “lucrative criminal activity.”

O2 has reported that due to the on going success with handsets such as BlackBerry’s and Apple iPhones, the traffic experienced on the network has increased a whopping 20 times! No wonder it’s hard to get that 3G connection! O2 states that it is experiencing “pressure where the highest concentration of smartphones” are resulting in hot spots of sub standard coverage, often resulting in dropped calls and poor data connection.

To rectify this, O2 has planned to spend some £30 million on network improvements in and around London alone, before the end of this year. It has also reported that it has secured additional investment in excess of £100 million for 2010. The £30 million spending this year will go towards 35 more sites being built, meaning better reception. O2 also have a team of over 200 people working to deliver a shared network with Vodafone, with a further 100 sites scheduled to be constructed.

O2 have also said that constant monitoring of the network, demand and performance will be in place to ensure maximum capacity and performance at all times. Not a bad response to counter Orange’s bold claim to having the best network coverage.

Once the merge takes place, the company will own 37% of the UK market, this is assuming that current customers will want to wait around to see how the new company will cope when in action (and thats if the deal doesn’t get ditched at the last minute).

All mergers need to be investigated, but with the UK being a very competitive market, it is unlikely that there will be any problems. If this is the case, then expect to see the launch of ‘T-Orange’ by mid 2010.

“It’s business as usual for us. We knew we only had a two year deal so we knew it was coming. We’ve sold over a million iPhones, so we’re confident – there are no plans for price cuts”

We doubt O2 will stick by this for long when Orange enters the market later this year, with Vodafone following hot on its heels in the early part of 2010, because both new parties have promised to make prices “as competitive as possible.” With the pricing being more competitive and the minimal difference in service these days between the three, we’re sure O2 will soon see sense and give the customers what they want. Keep an eye on the blog for more updates.

Mobile Wi-Fi on the 3 network works in the same way as traditional mobile broadband modems. The included sim sits inside the Mobile Wi-Fi device and gives you a connection of up to 3.6 Mbps. The difference is that rather than connecting via a USB cable, you connect wirelessly via a Wi-Fi connection. The Mobile Wi-Fi device can support multiple connections at once so is perfect when shared between students or for a start up business. Best of all, as all you need s a Wi-Fi enabled device to connect and get online, you don’t have to just use a Laptop, you can use anything from an iPod Touch to your mobile phone and even a Sony PSP.

The Mobile Wi-Fi device from three is available on a 1 month rolling contract so you don’t have to worry about signing your life away. £69.99 gets you the device, 5GB of data a month and you’re good to go. The Mobile Wi-Fi modem is not only great when you’re out and about but also doubles as a wireless router when you’re at home. Let’s say you’re upstairs and your friend is downstairs and you want to watch a movie he’s got stored on his laptop. Simply connect to his laptop using the Mobile Wi-Fi device as a router and share pictures, music, movies - whatever you want! In stock now at Mobiles.co.uk, click here to check it out!