UK broadband battles: Ofcom consultation into BT pricing to close tomorrow December 13, 2015 Get ready for another round of the UK's broadband battles, as industry regulator Ofcom’s consultation into how much BT can charge its rivals for leasing its broadband lines closes tomorrow. After a month-long consultation, part of its Business Connectivity Market Review, Ofcom’s review into BT’s cost attribution methodologies closes tomorrow, leaving the watchdog with a [...]
Nuisance calls to mobile phones soaring despite crackdown on cold calling companies December 8, 2015 Nuisance calls to mobile phones are soaring in the UK, despite a clampdown on unwanted calls and texts. Some 72 per cent of Britons have had at least one cold call from a company in the last month, up from just over half, 55 per cent, in 2013. Both the government and regulators have been [...]
Dame Colette Bowe on her plans for the Banking Standards Board December 7, 2015 Sitting in a small office around the corner from the Bank of England, former Ofcom chair Dame Colette Bowe says that her new job barely resembles her earlier days as a regulator. “We’re very different from being a regulator,” Bowe tells City A.M. “Regulators have statutory duties, as well as statutory powers. Regulators can say: [...]
The Ofcom 4G spectrum sale has been postponed until 2016 due to Telefonica and Hutchison’s O2 Three merger and BT and EE’s mobile mega deal December 3, 2015 The government's sale of 4G spectrum which is expected to net the Treasury at least £70m has been delayed by the deal between Hutchison and Telefonica to merge mobile its networks O2 and Three. The auction process was due to commence this month, however, it will now go ahead as late as summer next year to wait for an EU decision on [...]
Ofcom warns BT that internet status quo is likely to change as Vodafone, TalkTalk and Sky pile on the pressure December 1, 2015 OFCOM yesterday said Britain is doing well in rolling out superfast broadband compared with other major European economies, yet it added that the status quo in the industry is likely to be altered. Service providers, such as TalkTalk and Sky, have demanded that Openreach, which provides the infrastructure connecting people to the internet, be spun [...]
The nightmare before Christmas: Ofcom says fairy lights could interfere with your wifi December 1, 2015 Next time your internet connection isn't working, blame your fairy lights, which Ofcom has warned can interfere with the wifi signal. Ofcom released its telecoms and wireless network report today, which suggests wireless broadband may be slower than it should be in nearly six million UK homes, thanks to poor set-up and inference from household objects including lamps, microwaves, baby [...]
Broadband battles: BT and Virgin Media trade blows over the government’s broadband delivery scheme December 1, 2015 Join us for the latest act in the telco giant drama: Virgin Media has lashed out against the government’s broadband scheme, complaining it gives BT an unfair advantage to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds out of taxpayers’ pockets. BT and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have hit back at claims, [...]
FTSE 100 index opens up on Royal Mail, Johnson Matthey and miners November 19, 2015 The FTSE 100 opened 0.7 per cent higher this morning, at 6,322 points, led by gains in Royal Mail, Shell, BG and Johnson Matthey. Royal Mail's share price increased 4.1 per cent to 18.6p as markets opened , after reporting progress in its cost-cutting programme, which left revenue largely flat against difficult market conditions. The company reported [...]
Royal Mail share price rises as it reports progress in cost-cutting programme – but the second half will depend on the Christmas period November 19, 2015 Shares in Royal Mail jumped four per cent to 472.4p after its first-half results showed it's making headway as it accelerated its cost cutting programme and says the outlook for letters and parcels markets remains unchanged. The figures Royal Mail reported revenue of £4.4bn for the half year ended 27 September, two per cent down from the £4.5bn for [...]
Why it’s time for Ofcom to red card the rising cost of watching live football on TV November 17, 2015 The ever-increasing cost of watching Premier League matches on live TV is hitting fans where it hurts. UK fans pay at least twice as much to watch half the games as fans in Europe. In Germany, France, Spain and Italy, all their live games are available to watch at a much lower cost than in [...]