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.”

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