Despite the recent announcement of the merger deal that will see Orange and T-Mobile become the largest single mobile broadband provider in the UK, the feelings of unity are not spreading to the rest of the providers, as the newly joined firms are refusing to share their portion of the radio spectrum.

Industry regulators Ofcom are likely to demand an explanation for the decision by Orange and T-Mobile, which will shut out the other major providers from over half of the available radio spectrum over which services including mobile broadband and cellular networking are provided.

Recent investigations into radio spectrum allocation carried out by an independent research firm advised capping the amount a single organisation could own and if the merger goes ahead then Orange and T-Mobile would be in serious breach of these recommendations.

There were some hopes that over the next year, all of the major mobile broadband providers would share their radio spectrum, allowing people with Vodafone mobile broadband USB dongles to benefit from improved coverage as part of industry-wide cooperation. This spirit of sharing has been somewhat dampened by recent events.

Although the merger of Orange and T-Mobile, which would give them close to a 40% stake in the mobile broadband market, was initially going to be subject to a competition review, it seems that murmurings from the Office of Fair Trading suggest independent investigations into the merger have been put on hold. This is likely to result in the formation of the new provider occurring far quicker than was previously thought.

Industry observers are fairly sceptical that any industry wrangling which takes place before the general election in 2010 will actually have any lasting effect. Changes in legislation are inevitable no matter which party comes to power, although the stubborn behaviour of all providers could sour relationships in the future.