Lord Blackwell is set to be Lloyds Banking Group’s chairman November 28, 2013 SCOTTISH Widows boss and Lloyds Bank board member Lord Blackwell is poised to take over the chairmanship of the group, it emerged last night. The City veteran is to take over from outgoing non-executive Sir Win Bischoff, who announced his intention to resign earlier this year. The handover is expected to take place early in the [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 27 November 2013 November 26, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES RBS faces possible criminal probe The Serious Fraud Office is considering a criminal investigation into allegations Royal Bank of Scotland defrauded companies by forcing them out of business, amid growing pressure on the bank over its treatment of SMEs. The SFO has conducted interviews with former executives of UK firms affected by RBS’s [...]
Kcom chairman to become CEO as profits fall on continued investment November 26, 2013 Communications and IT provider Kcom says it is to split the roles of chairman and chief executive, as its transformation programme, which it started in 2008, is almost complete. The company also said that executive director Kevin Walsh is to retire, after 14 years with the business. In a separate report, the Yorkshire-based business reported [...]
Switch on for UK’s new local TV network November 25, 2013 COMUX switched on its TV Network Operations Centre today, ahead of the launch of 18 new local TV channels this year and a further 28 next year. “Local businesses will also have access, in many locations for the first time, to an attractively-priced local TV advertising network,” said Local TV Network chair Nigel Dacre. Comux, [...]
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 [...]