The Short Names

The crowded UK mobile market could be about to get a bit smaller, according to several reports that say a handful of networks are interested in buying Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile UK network, the country’s troubled, fourth largest network. Guardian.co.uk, Reuters, Times Online and others all put various names in from—from Orange to Vodafone to O2. DT itself has previously denied rumors that it’s seeking a buyer for T-Mobile, while a spokesman for Telefonica-owned O2, thought to be a favorite in what some newspapers are calling a “bidding war”, told us that the reports were based on speculation but added that the company continues to “monitor the situation with interest.”

New T-Mobile CEO Richard Moat only started his new job last week and officially DT has yet to put anything on the table. But consolidation of the UK mobile is a long-running problem and fewer competitors would be an obvious route to higher profitability for the remaining players. Or, as Ovum senior analyst Emeka Obiodu puts it (via Reuters): “Everyone agrees consolidation is needed and seemingly T-Mobile will fall first.”