Cloud-based phone system Aircall raises $65m amid home working boom May 27, 2020 Cloud-based phone system Aircall has raised $65m in Series 3 funding led by DTCP, as demand for the firm’s technology has surged during the remote-working boom sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. The round was led by DTCP with participation from new investors Swisscom and Adam Street, as well as existing investors Balderton Capital, Draper Esprit, [...]
Security officials launch review into Huawei role in 5G network May 25, 2020 Security officials have launched a review of Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network after fresh US sanctions. The US commerce department earlier this month said it would extend the sanctions to require licences for sales to Huawei of semiconductors made abroad with American technology. The UK government has since confirmed that the National Cyber Security [...]
Alibaba profit tumbles despite Covid-19 lockdown sales boost May 22, 2020 Alibaba today reported a plunge in profit during the fourth quarter as investment losses offset a surge in ecommerce sales during the coronavirus lockdown. The Chinese tech behemoth reported an 88 per cent decline in net income to 3.2bn yuan (£368m) in the three months to the end of March. The group said the decrease [...]
Competition watchdog launches investigation into fake online reviews May 22, 2020 The competition watchdog has opened an investigation into several major websites over whether they are doing enough to protect shoppers from fake and misleading reviews. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will probe how the sites detect, investigate and respond to issues such as suspicious reviews — for example where one user has [...]
Government ‘confident’ of NHS contact-tracing app launch despite delays May 21, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock today said he was confident the NHS contact-tracing app would be launched by 1 June despite technical issues that have already caused delays. Hancock said the app, which uses Bluetooth to track and trace coronavirus infections, would be in place to allow an easing of lockdown measures without risking a second [...]
Half of Facebook employees could work remotely by 2030, says Zuckerberg May 21, 2020 Half of Facebook’s workforce could be working remotely in the next five to 10 years, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has said. The social media boss today said his company would embrace a more permanent work from home policy even after the coronavirus crisis ends. In an internal townhall live streamed on Facebook, Zuckerberg said the [...]
Facebook Workplace takes on Zoom with video call rival during lockdown May 21, 2020 Caught out by the sudden success of Zoom as the world entered coronavirus lockdown, Facebook has introduced its own video conferencing tool on Workplace. The social network’s B2B business has seen its own jump in user numbers this year, as paid customers rose from 3m six months ago to 5m in March. By then coronavirus [...]
Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook is in fake news ‘arms race’ against rival states May 21, 2020 Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook is in an “arms race” to prevent misinformation from state actors as he defended his company’s crackdown on fake news about the Covid-19 crisis. The social media boss said his firm was battling to prevent interference from countries such as Russia, Iran and China, and admitted it was “behind” [...]
£500m Future Fund launch mired by fears startups will miss out May 20, 2020 Future Fund, the government’s £500m answer to startups’ need for cash to survive coronavirus, is set to launch today – but risks freezing out a swathe of British firms, entrepreneurs and investors have warned. That many startups cannot yet demonstrate a turnover, and that they typically rely on equity investment for cash flow, excludes most [...]
Coronavirus: Government launches £500m Future Fund for startups May 20, 2020 Startups that have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak will now be able to apply for emergency support under the government’s £500m Future Fund scheme. The fund, which opened for applications today, will offer UK-based startups convertible loans of between £125,000 and £5m to support continued growth and innovation across a range of sectors. The [...]