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Many of you will probably already know that two of the UK’s major networks now live under the same roof and may be wondering what benefits we are going to see from that. While there are no immediate plans to merge the brands, so no T-Morange then, there are very real plans to merge their network coverage.
As of 5th October both T-Mobile and Orange customers will be able to make use of both networks, connecting to which ever has the strongest signal. For now this is 2G only, hence their “talk and text in more places” tag line, but improved coverage is always a good thing and it is apparently free and we should be able to expect the same benefit with 3G data sometime next year.
Strangely you do have to register your interest for this, a strategy I think may be designed to stagger the launch a little rather than having both networks go down as everyone piles on. So, assuming you are interested (why wouldn’t you be), head over to your network’s page and let them know:
T-Mobile Customers: t-mobile.co.uk/share
Orange Customers: orange.co.uk/share
Press release:
From 5th October, 30 million customers – the combined customer base of Orange and T-Mobile in the UK – will be offered the opportunity to access both networks, enabling them to make calls and send texts in more places in the UK for no extra cost.
Tom Alexander, CEO of Everything Everywhere – the company that runs Orange and T-Mobile – said: “This is the beginning of an ambitious plan to give our customers instant access to whatever they want, wherever they are – instant access to everything everywhere.
“From next month, we will give almost half of the British population the opportunity to use their phones in more places than ever before. As well as continuing to benefit from their existing network, Orange customers will be able to make calls and send texts on the T-Mobile network and T-Mobile customers will be able to do the same using the Orange network. This is the first major consumer benefit of the merger between Orange and T-Mobile, and it delivers an unrivalled and unique experience that no other operator can offer.
“Until now, the industry has been working in a single network environment. We have a vision of a ‘multinet’ world where the consumer will be able to access what they want, when they want, at the touch of a button. It will all be possible due to a complex system of interweaving multiple networks, bringing mobile, wifi and fixed technologies together to act as a super network.”
Customers who sign up for access to both networks will benefit free of charge, with no changes to their existing tariffs or call or text charges. Once registered, should a customer lose signal on their existing network, they will then automatically pick up the signal from the other network where it’s available, meaning that they can make and receive calls and texts in more places than ever before.
Everything Everywhere’s ambition is to provide all Orange and T-Mobile customers with the best network experience in the UK, with the best network capacity, reach, speeds and coverage available.
Next year customers can expect benefits such as automatically switching to whichever of the two networks has the strongest signal while they’re mid-call, and enhanced data and internet coverage.
Customers from either network who want to sign up to benefit from the initial network improvements should register their interest at either www.t-mobile.co.uk/share or www.orange.co.uk/share. Mobile customers including pay as you go, pay monthly and business can sign-up to enjoy the benefits of access to both mobile networks.
