Orange and T-Mobile have joined forces to rival leading providers O2 and Vodafone. Orange and T-Mobile will not have 37% market share with 28.4 million customers, a massive increase on 02 (27%) and Vodafone (25%). The merger will not have any impact on current customers for the next two years, but during this time, the new mobile giant will be considering branding options.

CEO of Orange Tom Alexander will run the new venture, with T-Mobile boss Richard Moat will become the Chief Operating Officer for the business. The merger is likely to cost millions to the new company, but is expected to have savings of billions, with the cancelation of dpulication tower masts, stores, etc.

A very tactical move by both companies and it will interesting to see how they tackle 02's innovative approach to cross-selling across different markets and how they manage their presence online. 

Related links:

• BBC article on Orange and T-Mobile acquisition