It looks like, from the start of next year, operators Orange and T-Mobile might no longer exist – at least, as we currently know them.

Rumours suggest that parent company Everything Everywhere might be dropping the brands in Q1, 2013, in favour of presenting a unified front as it launches Everything Everywhere as a consumer brand. This would mean all existing Orange and T-Mobile subscribers would be migrated to Everything Everywhere.

We received our first hint of the move earlier this year when Everything Everywhere began to open self-branded stores, rather than the traditional approach of separate Orange and T-Mobile shops. Everything Everywhere representatives have so far denied the claims, maintaining as they did then that they remain committed to each brand – but they make a certain amount of sense, following on from Everything Everywheres brand review last year, the exact outcomes of which are still unknown. 

The rumours come from a Marketing Magazine story, which itself picked up on reports by Sky News.

Update: Everything Everywhere has posted a statement confirming that it intends to launch a new brand in the UK later this year, but that “this new brand will sit alongside our existing brands Orange and T-Mobile. We will reveal more information on our exciting plans in due course.”