4GEE

[tillyoshea]

Isn't EE a partnership between Orange and T-Mobile or sumfink?

Yes, that's the brand the joint Orange/T-Mobile network are using. Orange and T-Mobile will continue to operate as separate networks.

But, interestingly,not with separate high street presences:

We're replacing your local T-Mobile and Orange stores with exciting new EE stores, giving you access to almost twice as many stores as today.

So if the network is going to be branded as "EE", and the shops are going to be branded as "EE", what's left to be either "Orange" or "T-Mobile" beyond the names of the price plans?

[all new Phil]

I think that Orange and T-Mobile will cease to exist at some point - they just don't yet know how to break it to Orange customers that Orange Wednesdays will be no more!

I believe Orange and T-Mobile customers will very soon see EE as the network on their phone as well.

Have to admit - I'm surprised they didn't just call the whole lot Orange (including T-Mobile).

[Critique]

I think that Orange and T-Mobile will cease to exist at some point - they just don't yet know how to break it to Orange customers that Orange Wednesdays will be no more!

I believe Orange and T-Mobile customers will very soon see EE as the network on their phone as well.

Have to admit - I'm surprised they didn't just call the whole lot Orange (including T-Mobile).

Mr Phil's pretty much hit the head of the nail there. Give it 2 maybe 3 years and the two brands will be gone. Phase I of network identifier flag changing starts at midnight tonight in the 4G areas, and will slowly filter through the unified network over the coming months. Your high street shops will start becoming EEs next month. Even before any refit, Orange and T-Mobile shops will be selling all three brands. 4G handsets will start to be on sale on EE within the next few weeks.

Orange Wednesdays will stay as it is.

So, can we assume that, when this whole Orange T-Mobile merger stuff was first announced, the claims that the two networks would not merge, and T-Mo and Orange would remain independent were just to sooth any worried people, and stop them from jumping to O2 or Voda? When it comes to merging stores, our local T-Mobile and Orange stores are quite contrasting in designs. The Orange store uses a lot of Black, and well, Orange, and T-Mobile are using light colours and lots of wood. They're actually next door to each other here (we have a row of phone shops here, from T-Mobile to Orange to O2, to McDonalds, to Phones4You and Vodaphone), so they could just knock the wall in and use the space of both.

[WillPS]

I think that Orange and T-Mobile will cease to exist at some point - they just don't yet know how to break it to Orange customers that Orange Wednesdays will be no more!

I believe Orange and T-Mobile customers will very soon see EE as the network on their phone as well.

Have to admit - I'm surprised they didn't just call the whole lot Orange (including T-Mobile).

Mr Phil's pretty much hit the head of the nail there. Give it 2 maybe 3 years and the two brands will be gone. Phase I of network identifier flag changing starts at midnight tonight in the 4G areas, and will slowly filter through the unified network over the coming months. Your high street shops will start becoming EEs next month. Even before any refit, Orange and T-Mobile shops will be selling all three brands. 4G handsets will start to be on sale on EE within the next few weeks.

Orange Wednesdays will stay as it is.

So, can we assume that, when this whole Orange T-Mobile merger stuff was first announced, the claims that the two networks would not merge, and T-Mo and Orange would remain independent were just to sooth any worried people, and stop them from jumping to O2 or Voda? When it comes to merging stores, our local T-Mobile and Orange stores are quite contrasting in designs. The Orange store uses a lot of Black, and well, Orange, and T-Mobile are using light colours and lots of wood. They're actually next door to each other here (we have a row of phone shops here, from T-Mobile to Orange to O2, to McDonalds, to Phones4You and Vodaphone), so they could just knock the wall in and use the space of both.

I don't think they said that they had no plans to merge resources, they just made the point that nobody would loose out.

I remember reading when the merger happened that they'd start by allowing Orange and T-Mobile customers to roam on to eachother's networks, then letting MVNOs (notably Virgin Mobile) roam on to the network they are not associated with (which is where we are now), then they could identify masts which can be switched off without a drop in availability. I'm guessing they'll 'suspend' them for a period of a couple of months and monitor for any complaints, before deciding whether to reactivate or decommission them.

I'm pretty sure customer service is already/well on the way to being shared between the two operators.

What they actually do with the Orange and T-Mobile brands remains to be seen. There's nothing to stop one becoming a PAYG only brand, a business only brand (as was the case with ntl:Telewest for a while) or maybe Orange could be the retained as a brand for landlines and broadband.

Telefonica effectively already do the same thing with O2 and giffgaff, and way back when BT did it with BT Cellnet and Genie.

[madmusician]

When it comes to merging stores, our local T-Mobile and Orange stores are quite contrasting in designs. The Orange store uses a lot of Black, and well, Orange, and T-Mobile are using light colours and lots of wood. They're actually next door to each other here (we have a row of phone shops here, from T-Mobile to Orange to O2, to McDonalds, to Phones4You and Vodaphone), so they could just knock the wall in and use the space of both.

Sadly not, as the O2 shop is in fact in between the T-Mobile and Orange shops!

[Critique]

When it comes to merging stores, our local T-Mobile and Orange stores are quite contrasting in designs. The Orange store uses a lot of Black, and well, Orange, and T-Mobile are using light colours and lots of wood. They're actually next door to each other here (we have a row of phone shops here, from T-Mobile to Orange to O2, to McDonalds, to Phones4You and Vodaphone), so they could just knock the wall in and use the space of both.

Sadly not, as the O2 shop is in fact in between the T-Mobile and Orange shops!

Of course it is! I walk past it most days, so that's a horrible error! And I missed out the 3 store entirely!

[JAS84]

My guess, is that 2G and 3G will always keep the T-Mobile and Orange names, but as more and more people get 4G phones, the EE brand will gain prominence and the other two will fade. They'll naturally become defunct when there's no longer enough users left to keep the transmitters running.

[WillPS]

My guess, is that 2G and 3G will always keep the T-Mobile and Orange names, but as more and more people get 4G phones, the EE brand will gain prominence and the other two will fade. They'll naturally become defunct when there's no longer enough users left to keep the transmitters running.

I don't think it's a case of one technology replacing another - they all still rely on GSM communications ultimately, don't they?

[JAS84]

Aren't they on different bandwidth? That's why their rivals are complaining about EE's head start isn't it?

[Critique]

Apple have given EE their hero phone, really, as the new iPhone works on the country's new LTE network. Interesting to see what networks it's available on.

[marksi]

The specs of the iPhone 5 suggest (according to Rory CJ) that it can only work with EE. The specs do not include the 4G frequencies to be auctioned by OFCOM.

I suspect that this is going to turn into a messy legal case between O2/Vodafone and OFCOM.