Northern towns lead list of the UK’s most desirable postcodes March 24, 2015 Amid overcrowded tubes, ridiculous rents as well as overpriced bars and restaurants it's hardly surprising London doesn't feature on this list of the UK's most desirable postcodes. But it's actually a lot nicer up North. A better work-life balance propelled locations in the North of England to the top of the list, with the Bebington, Wirral [...]
CityFibre asks watchdog to level playing field after BT-EE merger March 23, 2015 High speed fibre optic firm CityFibre has attacked BT, saying its planned acquisition of EE would “stifle innovation” and “deliver little tangible benefit for consumers”. CityFibre revealed the objection this morning, saying that it submitted a formal complaint to the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) on Friday. The company demanded Ofcom be allowed to enforce extra [...]
BT: 12 year mobile gap at an end March 23, 2015 BT IS getting ready to reveal its plans for a relaunch into the mobile market this week amid ongoing opposition to its purchase of EE. The telecoms giant will be utilising EE’s network under the terms of a wholesale agreement struck prior to its £12.5bn bid for the mobile operator. Existing customers are expected to [...]
BT hits back at Ofcom over new broadband rule March 19, 2015 Telecoms giant BT slammed its industry regulator for taking a “lopsided” approach to the UK market. Industry watchdog Ofcom yesterday confirmed it was going ahead with a new pricing rule, coming into effect on 1 April. The rule means BT must maintain a sufficient margin between its wholesale and retail superfast broadband fees, in order [...]
Sky Sports subscription fees rise following record Premier League deal March 19, 2015 Sky Sports has raised its prices for subscriptions just weeks after winning the rights to a record £4.2bn Premier League TV deal. Sky’s average subscription price increasing by £2.50 per month, while the sports bundle will rise by £1 to £47 a month from 1 June onwards. The broadcaster paid £4.2bn for the rights [...]
BT fined £800,000 by Ofcom for deaf service failure March 17, 2015 British Telecom (BT) has been handed an £800,000 fine from media regulator Ofcom for failing to offer adequate services for hearing-impaired customers for five months. The fine relates to BT’s failure to bring in its Next Generation text relay system from between April and September 2014. The system translates voice-to-text on various devices, including PCs, [...]
Budget 2015: We need a second wave of the consumer revolution to restore faith in capitalism March 17, 2015 Today, the chancellor presents his last Budget before the General Election. With limited room for tax giveaways, and a need to show that the Tories are on the side of the “little guy”, it’s time for the second wave of the British competition revolution – to arm consumers to take on big business. Ed Miliband’s [...]
Salary cap rise on agenda after £280m TV deal March 16, 2015 ENGLISH rugby’s bumper new television deal with BT Sport could trigger further relaxation of the salary cap as Premiership chiefs ponder radical changes to the top flight. The amount teams may spend on player wages is already set to increase next season from the current limit of £4.8m plus one marquee player exempt from calculations [...]
Champions League: How Premier League clubs’ finances have been affected by European failures March 13, 2015 After Chelsea’s failure to beat a 10-man Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday left it looking increasingly likely that the Premier League will have a representative in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, English clubs’ deficiencies in Europe have once again been thrown under the spotlight. English clubs have not only been made to appear [...]
Digital probe sparks row over broadband as Sky and Talk-Talk press Ofcom to break up BT and Openreach March 12, 2015 A battle between the UK’s largest telecommunications businesses intensified yesterday, as Sky and Talk-Talk pounced on a decision by the regulator to launch a wide-ranging probe into the sector. Both firms ramped up pressure on Ofcom to break up BT from the part of its business – called BT Openreach – that runs the UK’s broadband [...]