Darktrace appoints former BT boss to board ahead of £4bn float March 1, 2021 Darktrace has appointed former BT chief executive Sir Peter Bonfield to its board ahead of a potential stock market float that could value the cybersecurity giant at £4bn. Bonfield has more than five decades of experience in the tech sector, including a six-year tenure as boss of the blue-chip telecoms giant. He currently serves as [...]
BT chair Jan du Plessis steps down to ‘focus on other interests’ March 1, 2021 BT chair Jan du Plessis will step down from the board less than four years after joining the telecoms firm. The former Rio Tinto chair joined BT as a non-executive director in June 2017 and was appointed chair that November. Prior to his role at the telecoms giant, du Plessis was chairman of SABMiller when [...]
O2’s £31bn Virgin Media merger ‘will help UK pandemic recovery’, says CEO February 25, 2021 O2’s proposed £31bn tie-up with Virgin Media will accelerate investment in telecoms infrastructure and bolster the UK’s post-pandemic recovery, the mobile network’s boss has said. The mega-merger, agreed last year by O2 owner Telefonica and Virgin Media parent Liberty Global, is facing an in-depth probe by regulators amid concerns it could harm competition. But O2 [...]
Rio Ferdinand invests in ‘Spotify of overseas payments’ app Sokin February 25, 2021 Former England footballer Rio Ferdinand is dipping his toe into the fintech world investing in a new overseas payments app launching this summer. He spoke to City A.M. about why the partnership with Sokin is in large part because of his experiences through childhood and what he’s learned about investment. The ‘Spotify of payments’ Sokin, [...]
Inmarsat appoints former Nokia boss as its new chief executive February 24, 2021 British satellite giant Inmarsat today said it has appointed former Nokia boss Rajeev Suri as its new chief executive. Suri, who stepped down as president and chief executive of the Finnish telecoms giant in 2020 after six years at the helm, will take up the position next month. He will replace Rupert Pearce, who has [...]
EE to extend 4G coverage in rural not-spot crackdown February 24, 2021 EE today said it will improve its 4G coverage in more than 500 areas across the UK as part of a government initiative to stamp out so-called signal not-spots in rural areas. The mobile operator, which is owned by BT, has already upgraded its network in 110 areas since March last year and plans a [...]
All Premier League games to be televised until fans return to stadiums February 17, 2021 The Premier League has committed to televising every match until clubs are allowed to reopen stadiums to supporters. All games have been available on Sky Sports, BT Sport, the BBC or Amazon Prime Video for most of the pandemic – save for short-lived experiment with pay-per-view. That arrangement has now been extended indefinitely, with a [...]
Champions League highlights to be screened on London advertising billboards February 17, 2021 Londoners will be able to enjoy highlights from UEFA Champions League matches on digital advertising billboards thanks to a new tie-up between Ocean Outdoor and BT Sport. The deal will see Ocean, which operates major advertising sites including Piccadilly Lights, screen next-day match clips from the last 16 fixtures of the tournament through to the [...]
Former EE boss Olaf Swantee joins Vodafone February 11, 2021 Vodafone has appointed former EE CEO Olaf Swantee as a non-executive director. He will take up the post at the end of July. Swantee comes from Sunrise Communications, where he was CEO. The ex-EE boss will use his experience in the sector to benefit Vodafone’s Audit and Risk Committee. Vodafone chairman Jean-Francois van Boxmeer said: [...]
Screenshot: How Amazon set up shop on cloud nine February 5, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Parish the thought **How Amazon set up shop on cloud nine **Will BT look to the stars? Media Moment of the Week: Parish the thought Anyone who thinks local politics is boring has clearly never attended a meeting of the Handforth Parish Council Planning and Environment Committee. Or [...]