News BT agrees to buy EE for £12.5B

I wonder if this'll add weight to 3's argument in favour of them purchasing O2, as they may try to use BT being allowed to buy EE as a potential monopoly as a valid reason for them to merge for an equally big share of the market.

It's a bit saddening that we seem to be getting fewer options for mobile operators, but on the flip side it could be good that them combining utilities could improve overall network performances.

 

I don't see a problem really, as it would make them comparable to Virgin.
Both control a network (BT: phone, Virgin: Fibre/cable), both resell TV, and both would now have a mobile arm.

TBH maybe Sky should buy O2? Then we'ed have three companies all offering the equivalent services, but all with "control"/ownership in one area...?

 

I would be worried if I was Vodafone, they are starting to look like a very small fish.

 

Actually I wouldn't be overly surprised if Sky did choose to try put in an offer for O2, or perhaps after the probably merge with 3 for an even bigger mobile branch.
...Then to round it all off, Virgin could possibly swoop in and claim Vodafone.

 

I got an EE mobile contract because I believed the advertising hype.

(I left Vodafone who provided a perfectly adequate phone (minus data) signal, and now I have to stand in the road outside my house to make/receive calls.)

At the same time I was hot headed and left BT to set up an EE home telephone plus broadband, this has improved nothing, and dare I say it my home telephone sounds worse than when BT sent me the bills. I know that shouldn't be possible. Unfortunate coincidence.

And now BT has bought EE.

If what some of you say is true about Sky, I wish they would hurry up and buy some comms companies so that I can ditch BT again, and the fake marketing machine that is EE.

 

EE seems to be getting a pretty bad rep of late. While I never had a problem with signal, their CS is shocking and their pricing is rediculous compared to the competition. I can't see BT fixing this.

While 3 have terrible indoor coverage in my area, the "Three InTouch" app gets me coverage over wifi. The fact that I now pay 15% of what EE were charging me also makes the deal so much sweeter.

 

They are slightly different cases as Three are buying a competitor in a market they are already in, whilst BT are buying into a new market that they have no existing presence.

The EU anti-monopoly laws won't come into play here are Belgium only have three mobile operators at present so the UK will be able to go down to that many without any issues.

So long as there's more than two we won't get into the state in the USA where there's only two major operators and consumers get screwed either way!

 

I used to be a BT Cellnet business customer, and was very happy with the service. Then O2 bought them, and over the years I became less happy with the service. A few years back I jumped ship to T-Mobile because the 3G signal was infinitely better near where I live. T-Mobile became EE, and now EE is going to become BT again.

I'm so confused.

 

Lol so it's come full circle now

 

O2 didn't buy them, BT spun off (BT) Cellnet, rebranding/renaming it to O2. which was then purchased/bought out by Telefonica.

Have been a customer of Cellent/BT Cellnet/O2 for all my mobile life, and have never had any problem with them whatsoever.

My only issue is that the "deals" they offer existing customers for upgrades are pathetic to say the least. (but then I doubt its any better elsewhere...)

 

That's quite funny that it's come full back to BT.

T-Mobile/Orange or the combined EE seem to have fairly decent coverage around Cornwall, along with O2 they often reach the majority of rural areas in the county.
Amazingly I even manage the catch a bit of 4G in my small village with EE.

I've had quite a decent service from BT as well so I'm quite happy if their decision to buy the network gets approved.