Virgin Media O2 to upgrade UK broadband network to full-fibre by 2028 July 29, 2021 Virgin Media O2 today unveiled plans to upgrade its UK broadband network to full-fibre by 2028 as it ramped up the pressure on telecoms rival BT. The company, which launched last month following the £31bn merger between Virgin Media and O2, said its project will cover 14.3m premises across the country, including 1.3m homes already [...]
ITV to restore dividend as advertising revenue bounces back July 28, 2021 ITV today pledged to reinstate its full-year dividend after the embattled broadcaster said it was emerging from the worst effects of the pandemic. The London-listed company said that while it will not pay an interim dividend due to ongoing uncertainty related to Covid, it planned to resume its payout at the end of its 2021 [...]
Ofcom targets Musk’s SpaceX and Oneweb with satellite rule revamp July 26, 2021 Ofcom has outlined proposals for tighter rules on the satellite broadband sector in a move that would impact Elon Musk’s SpaceX and British rival Oneweb. Space X and Oneweb are racing to launch constellations of low-orbit satellites that will provide high-speed broadband services to remote rural locations worldwide. While the systems can bring faster speeds [...]
UK telecoms firm Clearcomm snapped up by rival STL in £15.5m deal July 22, 2021 UK telecoms group Clearcomm has been acquired by Indian rival STL for £15.5m as global network providers race to roll out 5G and full-fibre broadband. STL and Clearcomm both offer network integration services, providing wired and wireless infrastructure for telcos, cloud companies and large businesses. Since its inception in 2009, Birmingham-based Clearcomm has grown to [...]
Space-tech: Billionaire Bezos’ flight to space to draw in starry-eyed investors July 21, 2021 Following Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ 10-minute venture into space yesterday, space-tech investment may be set to rocket, space-fund boss Mark Boggett has said. Just last week Boggett’s space investment firm Seraphim Space listed on the London Stock Exchange after rallying £178.4m from starry-eyed investors in mid-July. “Branson, Musk and Bezos initially cracked open the [...]
BT takes multi-million-pound stake in US cyber firm Safe Security July 21, 2021 BT has taken a multi-million-pound stake in a US cyber firm as the telecoms giant looks to ramp up its presence in the cybersecurity sector. The FTSE 100 company will be the largest investor in a funding round in Safe Security, which specialises in cyber risk management. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, the company’s platform allows [...]
What Amazon is doing with French football rights and the clues it offers to its plans for the Premier League July 14, 2021 Amazon is yet to make its widely anticipated big move for Premier League football rights, being content so far to buy up handfuls of live games and bundle them with its Prime Video subscription. But it is a different story in France, where the e-commerce behemoth is embarking on its first season as the main [...]
BT sets sights on Elon Musk’s SpaceX after Oneweb satellite deal July 14, 2021 BT is eyeing up a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX as the telecoms giant looks to adopt satellite technology to roll out the UK’s next-generation broadband network. The blue-chip group has already inked an agreement with British firm Oneweb to explore how satellites could be used to beam internet services to rural areas that are [...]
Anton Ferdinand: England should be barred from hosting 2030 World Cup July 13, 2021 England’s Euro 2020 final against Italy on Sunday evening was marred by scores of ticketless fans trying to break into Wembley, while Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were subjected to racist abuse on social media. Following the debacle, Anton Ferdinand said this evening he believes England should be barred from hosting another major [...]
The Analyst: What could the future hold for Channel 4? July 10, 2021 Ian Whittaker has been a City analyst for more than two decades, and what he doesn’t know about media, advertising and the creative services industry isn’t worth knowing. Here’s his second monthly column for City A.M. The UK Government recently announced a consultation on the future of state-owned Channel 4. Theoretically all options remain but [...]