Royal mail failing to meet targets says Ofcom November 22, 2013 The Office of Communications (Ofcom), has warned recently-privatised Royal Mail that it must meet its delivery requirements if it is to avoid fines. Royal Mail failed to achieve its requirement of 93 per cent delivery of first class letters the day after the they are posted, instead reaching 91.7 per cent. The figures were revealed [...]
Vodafone’s build plan promises 77,000 new 4G sites by 2016 November 12, 2013 Vodafone has said today that by March 2016 it'll provide access to 89,000 4G sites, adding 77,000 to its current 12,000. The big network growth push comes as part of the telecom company's Project Spring, a £7bn investment funded by the proceeds of its $130bn (£81.7bn) Verizon Wireless sale. Vodafone announced this morning in its [...]
Vodafone set to spend £150m on London network November 11, 2013 VODAFONE is expected to announce a boost to its mobile network in London tomorrow with details of a massive £150m investment to double its 3G capacity and reduce the number of dropped calls in the capital. Alongside its first-half results, the firm will announce details of its so-called Project Metropolis, a plan to increase the [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 08 November 2013 November 7, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Currencies probe shifts to the US A global probe into alleged manipulation of the multibillion-dollar currencies market has widened its focus to include the US, with Barclays putting three New York-based traders on leave. They included foreign exchange spot traders Russell Katz and Jerry Urwin, two of these people said. Mr Katz and [...]
Vodafone misses regulator’s 3G coverage requirements November 7, 2013 Ofcom has published the outcomes of an assessment it's done of whether the UK's major mobile phone networks are meeting their 3G cover obligations. Whilst EE, Three and O2 all met obligations imposed by the regulator, Vodafone fell foul, coming in 1.4 per cent short of the 90 per cent coverage requirement. The deadline, which [...]
BT is accused of making £5bn in excess profits November 4, 2013 VODAFONE and TalkTalk will hit out at BT and Ofcom today, accusing the regulator of being asleep on the job while BT’s stranglehold on Britain’s digital infrastructure has allowed it to make £5bn in excess profits over the past eight years. BT called the report “ludicrous” and disputed the accusation that it had made profits [...]
The lawyer who has built his career breaking down barriers November 3, 2013 Stephen Kon, the new co-deputy chairman of King & Wood Mallesons, tells Elizabeth Fournier how years at the forefront of European law have left him ready to take on China LAST Friday, Stephen Kon joined a new law firm, one with a very, very long name. Overnight, the senior partner of London-based SJ Berwin (SJB) [...]
UK superfast broadband rollout reaching 72 per cent of homes October 24, 2013 NEARLY three quarters of UK homes are ready to receive superfast broadband, according to an annual Ofcom report. The number of customers using the superfast speeds has doubled over the past year, reaching 4.8m UK customers this year. “Superfast broadband is rolling out fast across the country, and 4G mobile will reach at least 98 [...]
Cameron risks coalition split on green taxes October 23, 2013 THE RIFT in the Coalition widened yesterday, after Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to “roll back” the green energy levies strongly supported by the Liberal Democrats. His coalition partners dismissed the announcement as a panicky policy that had been “made up on the hoof…by a party getting cold feet on the environment”. According to [...]
Ofcom takes on price hikes with new set of rules October 23, 2013 TELECOMS regulator Ofcom has ruled that consumers will be able to ditch their mobile, broadband or landline contracts if providers raise prices during the contract, however the ruling could spell the end of cheap iPhones on contract. Telecoms operators often increase prices during a contract in order to deal with rising costs and inflation. “We think [...]