EE boss Olaf Swantee takes rivals to task over complaints about BT’s takeover July 27, 2015 EE boss Olaf Swantee yesterday hit back at rivals attacking a proposed £12.5bn takeover by telecoms giant BT amid fears the deal will dilute competition in the sector. “We have about 20 of our competitors who want to use lawyers to get a certain result, rather than using engineers to help them differentiate,” he said. [...]
TalkTalk share price dips as broadband battle heats up: Price wars looming in UK telecoms market July 22, 2015 Telecom firm TalkTalk became the first victim of an increasingly competitive battle to win broadband customers yesterday, after £330m was wiped off the group due to concerns over the UK’s market. The firm, led by chief executive Dido Harding, saw shares close down nearly nine per cent after results showed revenue growth of 3.5 [...]
Sky Sports and News UK win rights to show Premier League highlights online July 22, 2015 Sky Sports and News UK have signed a joint three-year agreement with the Premier League to show highlights across its mobile and online platforms. Read more: Sky Sports subscription fees rise following record Premier League deal Starting from the 2016/17 season, Sky Sports and News UK will have exclusive rights to show in-match content and [...]
Vodafone Europe chief Philipp Humm out in leadership streamlining by Vittorio Colao July 21, 2015 Vodafone Europe chief executive Philipp Humm is out after a streamlining of the mobile operator's leadership by top boss Vittorio Colao. "These changes will simplify and streamline the management of our largest European markets and accelerate our strategic plans in those countries as convergence gathers pace and our Project Spring organic investment programme and focus on [...]
Koovs share price drops as Lord Waheed Alli steps back as executive chairman July 21, 2015 Koovs' share price fell this morning as Lord Waheed Alli revealed he was bringing in a chief executive and stepping back from his role as executive chairman. The India-focused etailer has appointed internet of things expert Mary Turner to head up the business ahead of a new round of fundraising. Alli will become chairman. [...]
Ofcom says BT merger with EE could harm other mobile firms July 19, 2015 Telecoms giant BT could be facing double trouble from the industry regulator, after Ofcom revealed concerns surrounding its proposed merger with mobile network EE. The planned £12.5bn takeover is being probed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which issued an update regarding the scope of its investigation at the end of last week. Ofcom [...]
UK patent applications dropping as Sweden files 3.5 times more patents than the UK July 17, 2015 Bad news: the UK’s attitude to intellectual property remains dismissive, as new figures show that the number of patents filed were not just below the EU average, but actually falling. In absolute numbers, by far most patent applications come from Germany. With 22,800 filed, the country had over 40 per cent of all European applications. [...]
FTSE edges up but can not beat rise in Eurozone – London Report July 16, 2015 BRITAIN’S top share index edged higher yesterday, though without matching the gains seen across the Eurozone after Greece’s parliament approved austerity measures, with US-exposed stocks getting a lift. The FTSE 100 index closed up 0.6 per cent, at 6,796.45 points, lagging a 1.5 per cent rise for the Euro STOXX 50, with peripheral Eurozone markets [...]
Ofcom communciations review: What next for BT, Openreach, Sky and the telecoms market? July 16, 2015 While Ofcom’s latest move is no doubt being celebrated as a win by BT’s more than vocal rivals, it’s by no means a foregone conclusion that BT is heading for a breakup. Last time Ofcom reviewed competition, BT was forced to create Openreach in order to give access to its broadband network to rivals, something Ofcom [...]
BT share price dips as Ofcom considers spinning-off Openreach July 16, 2015 It's been months in the offing and the cause of various, vociferous complaints – but now communications watchdog Ofcom has finally come out with it: it's considering breaking up BT. In an outline of a review this morning the regulator said separating BT from its Openreach network "could deliver competition or wider benefits for end [...]