BRITAIN's fourth largest mobile phone operator, One2One, is axing more than 900 jobs.

The cuts amount to about 13 per cent of its 7,000 strong UK workforce.

Almost half will be spread across its five call centre operations, including one employing 1,000 people at Doxford Park, Sunderland.

The group is looking to cut about 400 call centre staff as well as 500 positions at its head office in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, which employs about 2,000 people.

Some technical staff, based at small offices across the UK, could also lose their jobs.

The cuts are the result of a business review launched by the company last month.

One2One, which is part of German group Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile, is looking at how best to build for the future, given the mature nature of the mobile phone market in the UK.

It plans to change its name to T-Mobile, mirroring the global rebranding exercises of its rivals.

The maturing of the UK market is forcing network operators to concentrate on increasing profit margins rather than aiming for rapid subscriber growth.

One2One chief executive Harris Jones said: "Our business review has been all about preparing ourselves for the future as a major UK telecommunications player.

"It is not about cost-cutting, but rather about preparing ourselves for the future.

"This has meant taking a realistic look at our resources and where they can be best deployed to provide for future growth."

Last month, rival Vodafone said it was cutting 650 jobs in the UK as part of its response to the changes in the mobile phone market.

The cuts, which hit Newbury, Croydon and Basingstoke, equated to 6.5 per cent of the group's UK workforce.

One2One's job losses will be obtained through a mix of compulsory and voluntary redundancies.

Its five call centres employ about 3,500 staff between them, with the biggest sites at Doxford Park and Dearne Valley, near Rotherham, which employs 700 staff.

Other sites include Greenock, in Scotland, with 700 staff and Merthyr Tdyfil, in Wales, with 400.

In August, One2One shelved plans to create about 1,000 new jobs at a call centre in Dundee, Scotland.

It is reviewing the situation and expects to make a decision on the new call centre by the end of the year.