BT breaks record for fastest ever broadband January 22, 2014 Alcatel-Lucent and BT have achieved the fastest ever broadband speeds in real world conditions. The speeds of 1.4 terabits (Tbps) per second were recorded in a field test conducted on a 255 mile fibre cable between the BT tower and Ipswich. The trial recorded spectral efficiency of 5.7 bits per second per Hertz. This is [...]
Vodafone and Sky in deal talks January 20, 2014 VODAFONE and Sky are holding high-level discussions on how the two companies could collaborate in order to curb BT’s growing reach in the broadband sector. The two firms have discussed options including a deal on Sky’s sports and movies channels or collaborating on a broadband service, people aware of the discussions told City AM. However [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 17 January 2014 January 16, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES EE float put on hold by owners The flotation of EE, Britain’s largest mobile operator, has been put on hold by Orange and Deutsche Telekom, after the joint owners concluded they would secure a higher valuation for the business when its 4G telephone services take off. Orange and Deutsche Telekom – which has [...]
Inside Track: Bankers wait for pay to rise as bonuses come down January 16, 2014 There’s an episode in John Lanchester’s book, Capital, when the investment banker character Roger fears his bonus will be the same as his annual salary, £150,000. “In practical terms, that would be the same as being dragged out of the office and finished off with a bullet in the back of the neck,” the author [...]
Best of the Brokers for 15 January 2014 January 14, 2014 BSKYB UBS has hiked BSkyB from hold to buy with a target up from 880p to 1,100p due to a belief in Sky’s resilience despite increasing competition from the new BT Sport channel. UBS also said the firm could be a takeover target for Fox or a merger partner for Vodafone or Telefonica’s O2. DIAGEO [...]
London Report: Financials hold FTSE down yet Sky gives a lift January 14, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index steadied near two-month highs yesterday, with a sell-off in financials offset by a crop of solid updates in the healthcare and retail sectors, while BSkyB shares jumped following a note from UBS. The broadcasting giant closed up 3.75 per cent after UBS analysts suggested various potential merger activities and said the [...]
Former HSBC exec named as BT Openreach’s next chief executive January 13, 2014 BT ANNOUNCED yesterday that Joe Garner will take up the role of chief executive of its infrastructure business Openreach in February, replacing Liv Garfield, who is leaving to become chief executive of Severn Trent. Garner previously worked at Procter & Gamble and as UK chief at HSBC, where he helped lead the bank through the [...]
Former HSBC UK chief Joe Garner joins BT as CEO of Openreach January 13, 2014 Joe Garner is the latest big name hire for telecoms company BT. He'll replace Liv Garfield as CEO of Openreach in mid-February, as Garfield leaves to become CEO of Severn Trent. Garner has worked most recently for HSBC as head of the UK bank, in which BT says that he drove "some of the highest [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 9 January 2014 January 8, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES UK mobile services in Channel tunnel British Eurotunnel passengers will finally be able to use mobile phones under the sea following an agreement between the Channel tunnel operator and UK telecoms groups to provide the same sort of voice and data services that have been available to the French since 2012. China offers [...]
Former banking star Cruz signs for Old Mutual January 6, 2014 ONE OF Wall Street’s most powerful businesswomen Zoe Cruz was yesterday appointed to a £77,000 a year boardroom role at FTSE 100 fund manager Old Mutual. Cruz, who was co-president of Morgan Stanley until 2007 and was once tipped as the future boss of the bank, will join as non-executive director and sit on its [...]