Editing T-Mobile (brand) (section)

===United Kingdom===
{{Main|T-Mobile UK}}
[[File:Hatfield T-Mobile.jpg|thumb|right|T-Mobile at Hatfield Business Park]]
[[File:Orange and T.Mobile shops in Leeds.JPG|thumb|right|T-Mobile and [[Orange (UK)|Orange]] shops in [[Leeds]]]]
''T-Mobile UK'' started life as ''Mercury One2One'', the world's first GSM 1800 mobile network.<ref>{{cite web|author=Powered by DMflex WebGen --- www.dmflex.com |url=http://www.gsmworld.com/about-us/history.htm |title=History ~ GSM World |publisher=Gsmworld.com |date=2011-09-21 |access-date=2012-03-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519093843/http://gsmworld.com/about-us/history.htm |archive-date=2011-05-19 }}</ref> It was originally operated by the now-defunct [[Mercury Communications]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20120709020051/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3457/is_n36_v11/ai_14396845 "Mercury One-2-One Challenges the U.K. Cellular Competition"]. ''Mobile Phone News'' (via FindArticles). 13 September 1993.</ref> Later known simply as ''one2one'', it was purchased by DT in 1999<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/413371.stm | work=BBC News | title=One 2 One Sale Agreed | date=1999-08-06 | access-date=2010-03-27 | archive-date=2024-01-11 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111041421/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/413371.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> and rebranded as T-Mobile in 2002.<ref>[http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/14439/one-2-one-rebrand-tmobile/ "One 2 One To Rebrand as T-Mobile"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831133133/http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/14439/one-2-one-rebrand-tmobile/ |date=2009-08-31 }}. brandrepublic.com.</ref>

T-Mobile offered both [[prepaid mobile phone|pay-as-you-go]] and pay-monthly contract phones. T-Mobile launched their 3G [[Universal Mobile Telecommunications System|UMTS]] services in the Autumn of 2003. T-Mobile UK's network was also used as the backbone network behind the [[Virgin Mobile]] virtual network.

In late 2007, it was confirmed that the [[merger]] of the high-speed [[3G]] and [[HSDPA]] networks operated by T-Mobile UK and [[Hutchison 3G|3 (UK)]] was to take place starting January 2008. This left T-Mobile and 3 with the largest HSDPA mobile phone network in the country.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} In 2009, [[Orange S.A.|France Télécom]]'s Orange and DT, T-Mobile's parent, announced they were in advanced talks to merge their UK operations to create the UK's largest mobile operator.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chooseisp.co.uk/broadband-guide/articles/tmobile-orange-merger-how-will-it-affect-you.html|title=The T-Mobile, Orange Merger: How will it Affect you? &#124; CHOOSE BROADBAND|date=July 22, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722195449/http://www.chooseisp.co.uk/broadband-guide/articles/tmobile-orange-merger-how-will-it-affect-you.html |archive-date=2011-07-22 }}</ref> In March 2010, the European Commission approved this merger on the condition that the combined company sell 25% of the spectrum it owns on the 1800&nbsp;MHz radio band and amend a network sharing agreement with smaller rival [[Hutchison 3G|3]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8243226.stm|title=Orange and T-Mobile Cleared for Mobile Merger by EU|date=March 1, 2010|publisher=BBC News|access-date=March 1, 2010|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109040105/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8243226.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> The merger was completed the following month, the new company's name later being announced as [[EE (telecommunications)|EE]]. Orange and T-Mobile continued as separate brands in the market until 2015,<ref>{{cite press release|title=Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom Announce Completion of UK Merger|date=2010-04-01|publisher=Newsroom.orange.co.uk|url=http://newsroom.orange.co.uk/2010/04/01/deutsche-telekom-and-france-telecom-announce-completion-of-uk-merger/|access-date=2012-03-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404081614/http://newsroom.orange.co.uk/2010/04/01/deutsche-telekom-and-france-telecom-announce-completion-of-uk-merger/|archive-date=2012-04-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> both run by the new parent company.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Orange and T-Mobile Unveil Joint Venture Name, Team, Vision and Plans|date=2011-05-10|publisher=Newsroom.orange.co.uk|url=http://newsroom.orange.co.uk/2010/05/11/orange-and-t-mobile-unveil-joint-venture-name-team-vision-and-plans/|access-date=2012-03-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318113336/http://newsroom.orange.co.uk/2010/05/11/orange-and-t-mobile-unveil-joint-venture-name-team-vision-and-plans/|archive-date=2012-03-18|url-status=dead}}</ref>

T-Mobile UK and Orange UK announced on 15 February 2015 the sale of [[EE (telecommunications)|EE]] to [[BT Group]] for £12.5B and to take shares of 12% within the BT Group as part of the deal.