MWC 2020 cancelled after coronovirus fears spark mass exodus February 12, 2020 Telecoms extravaganza Mobile World Congress (MWC) has been cancelled after fears over the coronavirus sparked a mass exodus by some of the world’s biggest tech giants. GSMA, which organises the annual conference, today said the outbreak had made it “impossible” for the event to go ahead later this month. “With due regard to the safe [...]
MWC 2020: BT and Nokia join exodus of companies over coronavirus fears February 12, 2020 BT is pulling out of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) because of the coronavirus outbreak, becoming the latest in a string of telecoms firms to say they will not attend the event in Barcelona later this month. Earlier today, Nokia and and Deutsche Telekom both said they would not be attending MWC, increasing the likelihood [...]
Court gives green light to T-Mobile’s $59bn merger with Sprint February 11, 2020 T-Mobile and Sprint were today given the green light for their $59bn (£45bn) merger after a US federal judge ruled the tie-up was legal. A group of US state attorneys general filed a lawsuit seeking to block the merger over concerns it would reduce competition and lead to higher prices. But judge Victor Marrero today [...]
Merkel’s party set to rule out Huawei 5G ban in Germany February 11, 2020 Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party is set to throw its weight behind a new proposal that stops short of banning Huawei from building Germany’s 5G network. Top ministers in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) last night signed off on a four-page paper following weeks of discussions with hardline ministers who want to exclude the controversial [...]
Premier League plots launch of Netflix-style streaming service February 9, 2020 The Premier League is plotting the launch of a Netflix-style streaming platform in a bid to boost revenue from TV rights in overseas markets. Richard Masters, the Premier League’s new chief executive, has confirmed that plans to set up a direct to consumer offering are already underway. The service, which would allow viewers in some [...]
Nokia investors must wait longer for dividend despite profit rise February 6, 2020 Nokia posted a surprise profit rise for the end of 2019 today, as cost-cutting helped it navigate a “challenging” year in which it slashed its outlook and cancelled its dividend. The figures Net sales were flat at €6.9bn in the three months to the end of December. But Nokia managed to eke out a rise [...]
Vodafone will spend €200m to rip Huawei from core networks February 5, 2020 Vodafone said the government’s decision to leave Huawei out of the core of the UK’s 5G network would cost the operator €200m (£169m) as it revealed third quarter results today. The mobile operator welcomed Boris Johnson’s “facts-based” decision to keep Huawei at arm’s length and vowed to remove it from its own core. Chief executive [...]
Britain will regret Huawei decision, warns exiled artist Ai Weiwei February 4, 2020 The UK will regret its decision to allow Chinese tech firm Huawei to build parts of the country’s 5G networks, Ai Weiwei has warned. The artist and activist, who has been exiled from his homeland since 2015, branded the move “short-sighted profit seeking”, adding that the British would “feel sorry later”. Boris Johnson’s government last [...]
City Moves for 4 February – Who’s switching jobs at Saatchi & Saatchi, Barkby and Superunion? February 4, 2020 Today’s City Moves includes Saatchi & Saatchi, Barkby and Superunion Saatchi & Saatchi Saatchi & Saatchi London has announced the appointment of Andrew Kay as managing partner on its prominent BT account. Andrew takes on the new role after three years as managing director at BETC. He began his career with account management roles at [...]
Angela Merkel fails to unite government over Huawei plan February 3, 2020 German Chancellor Angela Merkel is failing in her bid to unite the coalition government over a verdict on whether to allow Huawei to build the country’s 5G networks. Merkel has attempted to rule out a total ban on Huawei, but has been forced to strike a compromise with hardline ministers in her Christian Democratic Union [...]