Three in talks to buy O2

[Glenn]

Three have already bought O2 Eire, they are now in talks to buy O2 UK.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/telecoms/11364203/Three-owner-Li-Ka-shing-to-buy-O2-for-10bn.html

[Simon]

Not sure that would be a popular move.  The last I heard, BT was looking at re-purchasing O2.  I suppose, if Three buy it, it will become O3. 

[talos]

Seems to me someone is trying to set up a monopoly, not good for us price wise

[Glenn]

Not sure that would be a popular move.  The last I heard, BT was looking at re-purchasing O2.  I suppose, if Three buy it, it will become O3.

BT are in talks to buy EE

[peasblossom]

Not sure that would be a popular move.  The last I heard, BT was looking at re-purchasing O2.  I suppose, if Three buy it, it will become O3. 

Those who know what happened to EE when they merged may be nodding to that. I fear growing larger could lead to customer service getting worse. I'd also rather there were more operators/networks to choose from.

[Lance]

I guess if telefonica are looking to off-load they are limited in their options. Three is probably the only current operator who has small enough market share to get the deal through the regulators. If it isn't sold to a current operator, what other big companies are there which could be interested? I guess Sky could be, but they've been spending big recently sorting out ownership of their European operations to consolidate and merge them. Maybe talktalk could be interested as they currently use Vodafone and might want to expand in the market too, but could they afford it?

[nowster]

I suppose, if Three buy it, it will become O3. 

And their shops would be rebranded as Ozones? 

[Simon]

They might as well be, as most of them have closed!   

[pctech]

Have requested my PAC from GiffGaff and ordered a SIM from mobile by sainsburys as it's Vodafone based and the pricing is similar.

Three's coverage around me was non existent last tme I checked and I've not heard a good word said about their CS so am gone.

Looked at Vodafone PAYG and even on a limited use it would cost me a fortune to use my phone, would be like going back to paying 40p a min when I first got my One2One phone, I only dared use that in an emergency.

WAKE UP OFCOM!

Three are so cr*p they are having to BUY market share.

[Glenn]

When was last time? Before I left Three's offices in Reading (I worked for them as a vendor for 12 years), the last trade survey I read which was mid 2014, Three's (in your words cr*p) customer service was rated 2nd behind O2. Yes Three's CS was cr*p a 2+ years ago, but they have spent a lot of money improving things.

Also, going buy you statement, "Three are so cr*p they are having to BUY market share." Does that apply to all companies that are expanding, MS, Apple, Oracle, Sage, LG, HP etc, all bought competitors to increase their market reach and continue to do so. Digital were bought by Compaq (Compaq must be cr*p), HP bought Compaq, what does that make HP?

[mervl]

We all generalise from our own experience. What else are we supposed to do?

But I suspect that when you try to fix the market, as with any addiction, you can never stop. And like every addiction, every fix is temporary. And for us consumers, the cold turkey of waking up to reality will always be painful.

[Lance]

I've used their [Three's] CS a couple of times and have had no issues at all - calls have been answered quickly and dealt with satisfactorily. The only issue I've had was with their sales department who messed up the order my my iphone 6+.

As for coverage, I often find I have better coverage on Three than I do on O2 (whom my work BB is with), and before I was on Three I was on vodafone yet my wife would always have a better and faster signal on Three in the same locations.

[mervl]

I think the main problem is for the consumers. So far competition has kept prices low which suits all of us. But beyond that we all want different things, depending on our particular circumstances. Hitherto my experience has been that Voda and O2 seem useless outside the population centres, but often good within; Three poor within urban cores but better in the suburbs and rural areas when they have coverage, and my recent experience of EE's 4G is that it is excellent where it is available and not overloaded. Perhaps nothing surprising there. Mobile churn has been the saviour of the consumers and the bugbear of the industry. It seems fairly certain that the opportunity to get a better deal will reduce in the future, but can that be outweighed by a better "present offer"?

I don't envy the regulator though, in trying to balance price competitiveness and coverage, and sort out the spectrum reallocations, which seems to be the blunt tool they have left without price caps (heaven forbid), assuming they are allowed to. It needs smart regulation. Is there such thing?

[pctech]

Intereting comment here
http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/2015/01/23/analysts-react-to-hutchisons-proposed-9-2bn-o2-purchase/

"Deal essential to safeguarding Three's future in the UK"

Does that not indicate that customer base growth is slowing?

If you can't attract customers or the general rate of churn in the market is low then surely purchasing the customer base of a competitor is the only thing you can do in a market like the UK.

BT are buying EE for the spectrum and customer base as well as to offset declining voice revenues.

[Glenn]

Sack the proof reader

If BT and EE do merge and Hutchison acquires Three, it could force more consolidation as other players look to compete with the merged companies.

anyone spot the mistake?

[nowster]

Hutchinson used to own Orange. Hutchison used to run Rabbit. Some thought Orange was so called because Rabbit was a lemon.

[Simon]

That must be going back a bit!   

[pctech]

I do remember Rabbit being advertised when I was young and thinking then 'that really looks pointless'

[nowster]

I do remember Rabbit being advertised when I was young and thinking then 'that really looks pointless'

They did make for pretty good cordless phones when their "payphone" network was shut down.

[pctech]

Looks like this is pretty much a done deal http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/2015/03/24/hutchison-whampoa-agrees-terms-to-buy-o2/