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Hutchison Three Austria acquires Orange Austria

Dusan Belic — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:54:22 +0000

We told you consolidation is coming to Austria, and voila – the local branch of Hutchison Three has finally (started) acquiring Orange Austria, having agreed to pay 1.3 billion EUR to France Telecom which owns 35% stake and private equity investors Mid Europa Partners (65%).

As part of the deal, Hutchison will sell frequencies, base station sites, the mobile phone operator Yesss! Telekommunikation along with certain intellectual property rights to Telekom Austria Group, immediately after the acquisition is completed.

As usual, the transaction is a subject to the approval by regulatory and anti-trust authorities, with completion expected to take place in mid 2012.

Orange Austria had estimated 2011 revenues of about 500 million EUR and a total customer base of 2.3 million at the end of last year. The company employs almost 800 people…

[Via: CellularNews]

UK: Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S Advance available for pre-ordering; Three, T-Mobile and O2 to offer it, too

Dusan Belic — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:57:33 +0000

The newly announced Galaxy S Advance is heading to the UK, with phone retailer MobileFun and Clove already taking pre-orders for the unlocked device. Those of you who want the mid-to-high end smartphone will have to pour out some 350 GBP (around $550) to be amongst the first ones to get it. We’re hearing the first units will be shipped at some point later this month, with Clove listing February 27th as the first shipping date.

If you, however, want to get the Galaxy S Advance along with a carrier contract, you’ll be able to choose between 3 options – Three, T-Mobile and O2. Unfortunately, they failed to mention the exact launch date, though we guess it’s safe to bet that will happen in early March (or at the end of February).

As a reminder, the Samsung Galaxy S Advance comes with a dual-core 1GHz processor, 4-inch curved WVGA Super AMOLED screen, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and 8GB of internal memory.

[Via: EuroDroid]

T-Mobile UK launches “The Full Monty” unlimited everything plans, prices start at £36 per month

Stefan Constantinescu — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:17:10 +0000

T-Mobile UK has done the unthinkable. In today’s world of constrained networks and operators looking to buy up as much spectrum as they can, these nutters just announced the return of unlimited everything plans. They’re called “The Full Monty,” which conjures up some disturbing flashback from the film of the same title, but they really do give you everything you could possibly want … at least sometimes. Let’s start with the basic plan, which goes for just £36 per month. That gives you unlimited talking, texting, and data, but “only” 2,000 minutes of talk time to people not using T-Mobile’s network. The next tier is £41 per month, and that really gives you unlimited everything. There are two more plans that do the same thing, one is £46, the other is £61. What’s the difference between the last three? The subsidy you get on your device changes, so the more you pay for month, the less you have to pay for your phone up front.

As much as we want to applaud T-Mobile for trying something daring, we really have to give credit to Three. Back in March of last year they launched the “One Plan,” which gives you unlimited data, 300 minutes of talk time, and 3,000 text messages, all for just £15 per month. Better yet, unlike T-Mobile’s “Full Monty,” which requires you sign a two year agreement, the “One Plan” from Three is pay as you go. Now yes, you’ll have to bring your own phone to the network, but in the long run you’ll save money.

Of course it’s difficult to recommend one operator over the other since it hugely depends on how good coverage is in your neck of the woods. It’s best to ask friends and family about their experiences, that or just run some speed test in all the shops in your town.

[Via: Mobile Industry Review, The Verge]

UK: Sony Xperia S coming to O2, Orange and Three

Dusan Belic — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:33:29 +0000

Even though it was just announced at the CES in Las Vegas, Sony has already managed to secure distribution for its Xperia S smartphone in the UK, where 3 of the leading mobile operators will offer the powerful device. Telefónica’s O2, Orange and Hutchison’s Three are all on board, while Vodafone said it “has no plans” to list Sony’s baby.

Although we’ve no idea how much each carrier will ask for the Sony Xperia S, it’s safe to bet all of ‘em will give away the device, while requiring users’ signature on a two-year 30+ GBP per month contract.

As a reminder, the new Sony smartphone sports a 4.3-inch 720p (1280×720 pixels) Reality Display, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 12-megapixel camera on the back, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, HSPA+ and Wi-Fi connectivity, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in memory. Android 2.3 Gingerbread will initially run the show with Ice Cream Sandwich update launching soon afterwards…

[Via: Unwired View]

UK: HTC Sensation XE available from Three for 30 GBP per month

Dusan Belic — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:06:27 +0000

The HTC Sensation XE, which we know as the improved version of the original Sensation with more built-in storage and much better sound quality, is now available from Three UK. The operator is giving away the Android smartphone to anyone willing to commit on a two-year 30 GBP per month contract. That money gets you 500 voice minutes, 5,000 texts and 1GB of mobile data every month.

Now I know many audiophiles will prefer this particular device over let’s say Samsung Galaxy S II, but my heart is on Sammy’s side. It’s thinner and has a better screen. Then again, you won’t go wrong even if you get the Sensation XE – it’s just as awesome.

Or… you could grab the Google Galaxy Nexus and be among the first ones to try out the brand new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s your call…

[Via: EuroDroid]

Three offers 1.4 billion EUR for Orange Austria

Dusan Belic — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:50:08 +0000

Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa, which operates Three (brand) mobile networks, is reportedly offering 1.4 billion EUR for Orange Austria to merge it with its operations in the country (3 Austria). According to local press reports, a deal could go through as soon as next month, though none of the parties involved commented.

At the moment, Orange has 2.2 million connections and Three – 1.3 million. The new company would stand a chance to compete with the two leading carriers in the country, Telekom Austria’s A1 (5.2 million connections) and T-Mobile (3.9 million).

If everything goes as planned, Hutchison will sell excess base stations, spectrum as well as Orange’s prepaid “Yesss” brand to A1.

Contrary to popular belief, France Telecom isn’t the majority owner of Orange Austria – it holds 35% of the company while the rest is owned by private-equity firm Mid Europa Partners. Austria is one of several European markets where France Telecom is reviewing the possible disposal of assets seen as “non-core.”

[Via: MobileBusinessBriefing]

Pink Galaxy S II offered in Sweden by Three

Dusan Belic — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:28:54 +0000

Well what do you know – Swedes will be the first nation in Europe to get the pink version of the Samsung Galaxy S II. Up until this point, Sammy’s pink-colored smartphone was available exclusively in South Korea (as we reported earlier) and now folks in Sweden can get it from Three. The carrier is offering the device for free with plans starting at 199 SEK (about $28) per month, which is pretty affordable by any standards.

Needless to say, there are no changes under the hood — it’s the same Galaxy S II with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 8-megapixel camera on the back, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, HSPA+ and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth, 16GB of built-in storage, while Android 2.3 Gingerbread is running the show.

Now we’re hoping Sweden is just a starting point and that soon enough Sammy’s pink superphone will be available throughout Europe and other parts of the world. It does look like an awesome Christmas gift for the ladies, don’t you think?

[Via: SammyHub]

UK: Three, Vodafone now offer HTC Sensation XL

Dusan Belic — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:33:16 +0000

HTC Sensation XL, the Taiwanese company’s biggest Android smartphone announced to date, is now available at British operators Three and Vodafone. Three is offering the device for free to anyone willing to put his or her signature on a two-year contract with at least 34 GBP/month plan. That money gets you 500 minutes, 5,000 messages and 1GB of mobile data every month.

As for Vodafone, it offers the Sensation XL for free on plans starting at 41 GBP per month that include 1,200 minutes, unlimited texts and 750MB of monthly data.

Now this would all be cool if HTC’s big baby had a dual-core processor and unfortunately it doesn’t. In that sense I’m not sure why the Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC Sensation are so much cheaper. Sure that super big screen is expensive, but I would assume a faster dual-core CPU costs even more. Guess I’ve no clue on component pricing… or that’s just because the Sensation XL is a newer device. In any case, I would pick the Galaxy S II over it any day. What do you say?

Three UK now offers HTC Sensation and Galaxy S II on 27 GBP/month plans

Dusan Belic — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:29:40 +0000

Three UK is running a neat campaign for two of the hottest Android smartphones – HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S II. Both devices rock, though as we’ve learned from one of our previous posts, most of you guys and gals prefer Sammy’s baby due to its better screen (Super AMOLED Plus), more flash storage and more RAM. Still that doesn’t mean the Sensation is a bad device by any means — quite the contrary, it’s just not as good as the Galaxy S II.

Anyway, the British operator is running a “Flash Sale” offering both phones for free with plans starting a 27 GBP per month. That plan is called “Text 500″ (located under “Text plans” for HTC Sensation) and comes with 500 minutes, 5,000 texts and 1GB of mobile data per month. That’s pretty decent though heavy users may want more (read: unlimited) data, which will take additional 3 GBP out of their pocket every month…

You can check Three’s HTC Sensation offer from this page, and Samsung Galaxy S II from here.

[Via: EuroDroid]