Everything Everywhere to merge Orange and T-Mobile 3G networks

Everything Everywhere, the company formed by the merger of Orange and T-Mobile, is to start giving customers access to both networks' 3G services in a move that could have significant benefits for businesses users with either firm.

The company already lets customers use the two brands' 2G networks for voice and text communications and confirmed that the work to extend this to 3G networks will begin next week.

Olaf Swantee, chief executive of Everything Everywhere, said the move to merge networks would help the firm meet the ever-growing demand for access to mobile data on smartphones and tablets.

"Not only will customers be able to talk in places they weren't able to before, they'll also now be able to access the internet, social networks or download emails at improved speeds, in more places," he said.

The firm also revealed that since giving customers the ability to share its 2G network 41 million hours worth of calls and five billion texts have been made by customers on each other's networks.

Principal analyst at Ovum, Jeremy Green, told V3 that the merger made clear strategic sense for Everything Everywhere.

"There was no point in the merger going ahead if the firms weren't going to take advantage of the ability to share network," he said.

"They've committed to maintaining the two brands so the real benefits come from being able to reduce infrastructure."

The move justifies the decision by Ofcom to allow operators with 2G spectrum holdings to use them for 3G connections – a concession O2 has already taken advantage of – on the basis that Orange and T-Mobile would be able to merge their 3G networks.

Everything Everywhere also confirmed in May that Chinese network giant Huawei is to upgrade its 2G network to provide improved coverage, data capacity and quality.