Samsung Galaxy SIII pricing revealed in the UK (UK)
Following the launch of the Samsung SIII in London, mobile operators in the UK have announced their plans to sell the handset along with the pricing details. According to a report by the Inquirer, mobile networks O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Three and Vodafone have all announced that they will be selling the handset, leaving Virgin Media as the only mobile operator yet to jump on the Galaxy S III bandwagon.
Mobile users can also purchase the Galaxy S III from Phones 4u and Carphone Warehouse. As per the report, the operators have also revealed the pricing for the Galaxy SIII. Mobile operator Three will be selling the handset on a 24 month $55 contract with no upfront cost, it announced, which will come with 2,000 minutes, 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes, 5,000 texts and all-you-can-eat data.
For those users who are not interested in purchasing a year contract, they can avail the handset via Phones 4u and Carphone Warehouse for $808.
Carphone Warehouse reports decline in pre-pay mobile sales (Europe)
Carphone Warehouse, Europe’s biggest mobile phone retailer, has reported a 40 percent decline in the overall pre-pay mobile market, citing lack of customer demand and fewer options of smartphones in the segment as the prime reasons for the decline.
According to reports, the company, which has 24,000 outlets across Europe, has reported a 4.7% decline in like-for-like sales across its stores in the UK and Europe, with connections down by 16.6%.
However, as per sources, the retailer said it witnessed a 15 percent growth in revenues from devices such tablet computers, applications and accessories.
Further, reports reveal that Roger Taylor, CEO, Carphone Warehouse has said that there is probably US$ 62 million to US$ 78 million of revenue coming out of that prepay segment, which they are not going to directly replace.
Google launches latest Android OS Nexus S phone
Google has launched the latest version of its Android operating system and has unveiled a new Nexus handset, the ‘Nexus S’.
The new platform, Android 2.3 also known as Gingerbread for the first time includes support for near field communications (NFC), integrated VoIP/SIP calling, and a number of user interface improvements. Google claimed Gingerbread is the fastest-performing Android OS to date.
The Samsung-made Nexus S smartphone features a front and rear-facing cameras for video calling, a 1-GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, a four-inch touchscreen display designed to reflect less glare than standard LCD screens and 16GB of internal memory.
According to Andy Rubin, Google’s Vice President of engineering, as the lead device for Gingerbread, Nexus S combines great hardware with great software to provide users with a fast and powerful mobile experience. They believe Nexus S will drive innovation in the mobile space that will benefit their users, partners and developers working on Android, and the entire mobile industry.
The device is available in the U.K. on pre-order from handset retailers Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse. The latter is offering the Nexus S from US$55.08 per month on Vodafone’s network on a 24-month contract. The smartphone is also available SIM-free for US$865.51.
According to Carphone Warehouse’s network, customers will receive their orders by the end of December.
Mobile phone costing less than a piece of cake (Britain)
Carphone Warehouse, a Mobile phone retailer is introducing the ultimate off the cuff accessory – the 99-pence mobile phone.
The phone is available in a range of colors and is a perfect gift for the hard-up shopper. The retail chain claims the OT-209, made by French firm Alcatel, is the cheapest pay-as-you-go phone ever to be sold in Britain.
As per the reports, customers, who are not tied to an expensive contract, will be connected to the Virgin network. The only catch is they will have to buy US$16.13 of credit to make calls. There are no more fees other than the cost of making calls and text messages.
The phone is aimed at first-time users and people who are tired of the new technology. It has just a few features and is easy to use.
According to Executive chairman Charles Dunstone; it is also useful for consumers to have as a back-up phone. You have to remember at Christmas the one question we get asked the most in their stores is ‘what’s your cheapest phone’? And at 99p this is the lowest it’s ever been. He guesses it reflects just how competitive the UK mobile market has become between carriers and manufacturers. Mobile phones are such an important part of people’s lives and so many are manufactured that they have become very cheap to make.
Consumer fixed-line voice services offered by O2 UK
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: In a major change in the strategy of Europe’s largest telecommunications company by market capitalization, Telefonica SA’s O2 , fixed-line voice calls will be provided to the residential customers by the company in the U.K by from March.
With this move, Telefonica joins BT and Carphone Warehouse Group PLC’s TalkTalk Group. Two home phone packages will be offered by O2 to its residential broadband customers, costing GBP9.50 and GBP12.50 a month, respectively.
According to Sally Chowdry, O2′s U.K. marketing director, the move is a part of part of the company’s strategy to evolve beyond mobile to a leading connectivity brand. However, O2′s competitors like BT and Carphone Warehouse’s TalkTalk have played down its entry citing that the U.K. market is already one of the most competitive telephone markets in the world.
TI Sparkle chosen by Virgin mobile to provide international voice traffic
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A new voice outsourcing agreement has been signed by Telecom Italia Sparkle and Omer Telecom that will make TI Sparkle the provider of Virgin Mobile France’s international voice traffic. Omer Telecom is the joint venture between the Virgin Group and Carphone Warehouse, marketing the Virgin Mobile brand in France.
TI Sparkle will provide Virgin Mobile France with state-of-the-art business and technology expertise gained through the management of over 20 billion minutes of international voice traffic exchanged via a global set of fixed and mobile terminations, over 1,300 specific breakouts and more than 500 direct interconnections.
According to Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux CEO of Virgin Mobile France, due to this agreement, Virgin Mobile France will significantly reduce its cost base, improve overall profitability and increase efficiency while at the same time maintaining full control of its international voice business
Half of ten-year-olds own a mobile
More than half of all ten-year-olds own a mobile phone, according to a report.
By the time they go to secondary school at the age of 12, more than 90% of children have their own phone.
The findings, compiled in the Mobile Life Youth Report, reveal the growing importance of mobile phones in children’s lives today.
Most said they texted more than talked with the average 11 to 17-year-old sending 9.6 messages a day – almost three times as much as their parents.
Mobile phones seem to be a crucial part of children’s social lives, with 78 per cent saying it is easier to maintain contact with friends.
Owning a mobile makes 80 per cent of young people feel safer when they go out, although only a third of children aged 13 to 16 thought it was reasonable for their parents to keep track of them.
Charles Dunstone, chief executive officer of The Carphone Warehouse Group which commissioned the study, said: “The mobile phone has become the most important electronic device for young people in the UK today with 91 per cent of children having a mobile phone by the time they go to secondary school.
“It provides them with a social network, a sense of security and access to entertainment. But most importantly it provides them with a sense of belonging to their peer group.”
Source- http://www.itv.com
