Flybe completes sale to Virgin-led consortium after dramatic last-minute challenger bid February 21, 2019 Struggling regional airline Flybe has completed the sale of its assets to a consortium of buyers led by Virgin Atlantic. Flybe confirmed it has sold its assets and operations for £2.8m to Connect Airways, an investor group consisting of Virgin Atlantic, Stobart and hedge fund Cyrus Capital. The deal comes just days after it emerged [...]
Huawei ramps up $2bn plan to address security worries as global pressure mounts February 21, 2019 Huawei has ramped up its $2bn (£1.5bn) project to address British security concerns as pressure mounts on the Chinese firm over spying fears. The tech giant will present its plan to resolve the problems by the end of the first half of this year and may fork out more than the $2bn originally set aside, [...]
Trump urges US businesses to step up 5G and ‘6G’ networks February 21, 2019 US President Donald Trump sparked confusion today as he appeared to soften the country’s stance towards Huawei and called for the rollout of ‘6G’ technology. In a series of tweets, Trump urged US businesses to step up the move to 5G technology and called for the adoption of 6G – which does not exist – [...]
Apple and Goldman Sachs set to launch joint credit card in bid to win over iPhone users February 21, 2019 Apple is reportedly teaming up with Goldman Sachs to launch a joint credit card to help customers manage their finances through their iPhone. The joint venture will allow iPhone users to link the card with the Apple Wallet app, allowing them to better track spending and earn rewards, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar [...]
UK telecoms operators must strengthen cyber security to prevent cyber attacks, says top spy boss February 20, 2019 The UK needs higher standards of cyber security across the telecoms sector, a top spy boss said today, insisting no conclusion has been reached about the use of Huawei’s 5G equipment. Speaking at a cyber security conference in Brussels this afternoon, Ciaran Martin, head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said the telecoms market must [...]
Celebrity marketing fees fall by two-thirds in two years amid shift to micro-influencers February 20, 2019 The amount of money marketers are willing to splurge on high-profile celebrity influencers has plunged by two-thirds over the last two years, a new survey has revealed. Data published by Rakuten Marketing shows UK marketers are willing to fork out £25,000 for a single post by a Facebook influencer, down from £75,000 in 2017. Read [...]
Ghosn case should have been handled internally, new lawyer says February 20, 2019 Carlos Ghosn’s new lawyer launched an attack on Nissan and the Japanese legal system today as he dismissed the charges against the former car executive. Junichiro Hironaka, nicknamed the Razor, said the allegations should have been dealt with as an internal company matter and criticised Japanese judges for holding Ghosn behind bars, saying the move [...]
Vodafone becomes first mobile operator to connect smartphones to 5G February 20, 2019 Vodafone has become the first mobile operator to connect 5G smartphones to its network as it gears up for a European rollout later this year. The company said it has completed successful trials over a four-week period in Madrid and Barcelona ahead of the eagerly-anticipated Mobile World Congress. Read more: Qualcomm launches new chip for [...]
Iceland Christmas sales fall despite furore over banned palm oil advert February 20, 2019 Iceland is set to reveal a decline in underlying sales over the festive period after its controversial Christmas advert failed to boost business. A report prepared for bondholders, obtained by the Financial Times, showed underlying sales fell by one per cent in the 16 weeks to 4 January. Read more: Iceland mulls bid for potential [...]
Nissan governance board to push for separate chairman from Renault February 20, 2019 Nissan’s governance board is to oppose the company having the same chairman as Renault, the Financial Times reported today, citing sources close to the matter. Renault has been calling for its newly-appointed chairman, Jean-Dominique Senard, to take over the role at the Japanese car company, the sources said. Read more: Renault slams the brakes on [...]
