TalkTalk moves to obstruct BT’s £12.5bn EE deal June 17, 2015 A fresh skirmish broke out between TalkTalk and BT yesterday, after BT published a consultancy report in support of its proposed £12.5bn takeover of EE. BT chief excecutive Gavin Patterson said the combination would create a “true UK digital champion”, while EE boss Olaf Swantee hit out at rivals who are trying to block the [...]
Ofcom kicks off decade of Royal Mail probes June 16, 2015 ROYAL Mail’s investors should prepare for a decade of regulatory reviews, a leading analyst warned yesterday, after Ofcom launched a “fundamental” investigation into the privatised British postal service. “[Telecoms company] BT gets reviewed all the time – this is how the world works for former government-owned monopolies,” said Shore Capital’s Martin Brown. “If you’re a [...]
Royal Mail share price slides as Ofcom launches “fundamental” review of Royal Mail June 16, 2015 Communications regulator Ofcom today announced plans for a "fundamental" review into Royal Mail's direct delivery service, sparked by the withdrawal of Whistl, Royal Mail's only rival in the sector. Read more: Opinion – Lessons learned as final Royal Mail parcel goes on sale Shares were down 2.5 per cent at 492p as Ofcom said the [...]
Ofcom details proposed price caps on BT’s high-speed business lines June 12, 2015 Ofcom has detailed proposed price controls on BT's leased telecoms lines, saying they would mean significant reductions for many businesses reliant on the high-speed lines. BT has "significant power" in the £2bn leased lines market, which provides vital high-speed broadband and mobile services, according to Ofcom who want to implement charge controls. Read more: BT dismisses [...]
Government to begin selling remaining Royal Mail stake for £767m June 10, 2015 The government is to begin selling off its final 30 per cent stake in in the Royal Mail in the next few days, after George Osborne announced the sale last week. Read more: Osborne must put taxpayer value over a rapid privatisation The sell-off, of 15 per cent of the business, is expected to raise [...]
Premium phone charges set to drop under new Ofcom rules May 25, 2015 CHARGES to premium phone lines are set to get a little bit cheaper under sweeping changes to be introduced in July by the communications regulator Ofcom. The new rules will affect phone numbers beginning with 08, 09 or 118, which are typically used by customer service and information lines as well as by directory enquiries. [...]
Premium phone charges are set to drop under new Ofcom rules May 25, 2015 Charges to premium phone lines are set to get a little bit cheaper under sweeping changes to be introduced in July by communications regulator Ofcom. The new rules will affect phone numbers beginning with 08, 09 or 118 which are typically used by customer service and information lines as well as by directory enquiries. From the 1 July [...]
BT share price edges down as Ofcom outlines measures to open fibre networks May 15, 2015 Shares in BT opened almost one per cent lower at 461.65p this morning, after it was revealed regulator Ofcom could force it to open some of its fibre-optic lines to rivals. However, these falls were later clawed back, with shares trading at 463.9p, 0.24 per cent down, an hour later. The regulator said the measures [...]
TalkTalk chief Dido Harding pushes to split BT and Openreach as profit rises May 14, 2015 TalkTalk boss Dido Harding renewed her calls for the regulator to force BT to sell its telecoms network division Openreach yesterday, and said more competition in the market would lead to further investment. Harding made the comments while discussing TalkTalk’s results for the year to 31 March, which showed a 3.2 per cent rise [...]
Fantasy football: Can BT’s dreams of boosting growth come true? May 7, 2015 The telecom’s move into TV sports gained credibility from its £900m deal to broadcast the Champions League, but it is not without problems BT BOSS Gavin Patterson didn’t waste any time in making his presence felt at the top of the FTSE 100 company when he was appointed chief executive in 2013. Just two months [...]