"The concept of being able to access any kind of communication from multiple devices is something fundamental, but so far they've all been kind of clunky -- there hasn't been a carrier-grade solution based on the network itself, " says Charles Gerlach, a director at the consulting firm Mainspring.
One solution would be for Britain not to sell the second carrier it is currently building, which at present seems its likely fate, but to operate it on a timeshare basis with the French.