O2

With interest rates still dire, carrier Telefonica is reportedly hoping the lure of free smartphone data will tempt subscribers to bank with them instead. O2 Germany, the company's German arm, is apparently preparing to launch a service called "O2 Banking"; according to Bloomberg's sources, next week subscribers will not only have the option of relying on the network for their connectivity, but for their financial needs too.

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Following similar comments from EE about doing the same, UK carrier O2 has said it's also considering options for allowing its customers to block all mobile ads on their smartphones. In an interview with Business Insider, O2 said that they are already in the process of determining what kind of effects such technology would have on their network, and how it could be beneficial for customers.

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Three has acquired UK carrier O2 in a deal worth over $15bn, as the fiercely competitive British mobile segment continues to condense. The culmination of "exclusive negotiations" that began earlier this year, the deal will leave the combined carriers as the largest - in terms of subscribers, at least - in the UK, though regulatory approval is yet to be gained and could take some time. However, even in the short-term there are still plenty of unanswered questions.

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It may be time for BT Group - British Telecom - to ready their purchase purse for EE. This deal is being reported by BT itself, suggesting that they've not yet reached a final agreement, but that they're certainly aiming for EE and not O2 as previously reported. It'd be strange, after all, if BT bought O2 as it sold the company to Telefonica just 10 short years ago - of course they'd be buying a big hunk of Telefonica then instead, if they did decide to do so.

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Is this an "ouch" or a "good for Amazon"? The Fire Phone has been dropped to $0.99 on-contract here in the United States - that’s about $190 less than it launched for way back when it was first released. But that was a long time ago, right? Not so much.

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O2 has announced that it has created a new campaign that is called Wear the Rose in cooperation with England Rugby. The Wear the Rose campaign is said to be the first fully immersive 360-degree sports experience and it uses Oculus Rift technology.

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You may recall earlier this month we mentioned that O2 was set to launch its 4G network within the UK on August 29. August 29 is officially here and O2 has indeed flip the switch and turned 4G on for its customers. However, O2 isn't the only wireless carrier in the UK it's turned on 4G connectivity today.

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O2 UK has revealed its 4G LTE plans, giving carrier EE some competition for high-speed data. The new O2 4G service will go live on August 29, initially in London, Leeds, and Bradford, the FT reports, with the three cities being followed by a further ten before the end of 2013, the carrier has promised. The cheapest O2 LTE tariff will be £26 ($40) per month, though O2 is yet to detail exactly what that will include.

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Microsoft has been pushing to get Windows Phone 8 recognized as the "third ecosystem", insisting that carriers and consumers alike both want another alternative to iOS and Android, and now it has some vocal support from O2 parent Telefonica. The new announcement promises an "enhanced marketing effort" between the two companies, which will apparently see Telefonica boost promotion for Windows Phone handsets in six of its key markets.

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O2 Ireland has been sold to Three parent Hutchison Whampoa Group, in an €850m ($1.1bn) deal that will see Three surge in subscribers to around 2m active users. O2 Ireland parent Telefonica described the deal as part of its "proactive management" [pdf link] of its portfolio, with the payment used to offset the carrier's financial situation, which dropped 1.6-percent year on year in Telefonica's most recent financials.

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If you compare mobile plans in the US to mobile plans available in the UK, it's clear that most of the time mobile phone users in the UK are able to get much better deals. UK carrier O2 has announced a new tariff that promises to allow customers to get the latest phone whenever they want. That means there's no more worrying that when you buy that new Android device, something better will launch six months down the road.

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UK fans of the Nokia Lumia 620 smartphone can get device on a special deal from O2 for one day only. The wireless carrier is offering the device at a special one-day price of £119.99, which is a £30 discount off the normal cost. The special deal is good Wednesday, February 13 only while supply lasts.

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