Could Vodafone or O2 Swallow up 3?

Mergers and acquisitions have become hot stuff in the mobile phone world at the moment and with T-Mobile and Orange now merged, it is understood that another significant partnership in the UK mobile phone markets could be underway, with 3 Mobile as a possible target.

This comes after the merger of T-Mobile and Orange meant that they collectively have the market share of the most mobile phone users in the UK. The crown was previously held by Vodafone who remain holding just over a quarter of the market in total; O2 are slightly behind by a little bit, too.

Even though the merger of T-Mobile and Orange is brilliant news for UK consumers according to experts, it is feared that the aftermath of the merger could result in dire consequences for Vodafone who may have lost the strong footing that they once had in the mobile phone market.

After Orange successfully merged T-Mobile, it seems that Vodafone and O2 have been left outside in the cold after both putting £3.5 billion each on the table in order to increase the market share that they have.

Now Orange and T-Mobile are in it together at 50/50, it could be said that they are going to try and unite as one entity rather than to carry on as two separate mobile phone operators. As a result, this may mean that mobile phone users are affected in some way.

One analyst said: “To date the two separate operators have struggled to close the gap on Vodafone and O2.”