Round one to Sky in battle with BT August 1, 2013 Communications regulator Ofcom dealt a blow to BT yesterday, ruling that it is not ready to force Sky to allow its sports channels to be shown on BT’s new TV service. The decision came on the day that BT launched its new TV sports channel, BT Sport, with presenter Jake Humphrey leading the way last night. [...]
O2 takes on EE with 4G rollout August 1, 2013 O2 will rollout its 4G network in the UK from the 29 August, initially offering the service to new and existing customers in London, Leeds and Bradford. The mobile operator will be the first to go head to head with rival EE, which was given permission to use its existing network to offer 4G services [...]
EU mobile boss wants to slash Ofcom powers February 26, 2013 THE EU’s top telecoms official has outlined plans for a unified European mobile market, a move that would boost cross-border giants such as Vodafone and reduce the power of UK communications regulator Ofcom. Speaking at the industry’s annual forum, Mobile World Congress, EU data commissioner Neelie Kroes said Europe was “falling behind” the US as [...]
O2 boss says 4G auction forecast contained flaws February 25, 2013 GEORGE Osborne should never have expected to raise the £3.5bn he had banked on from an auction of 4G mobile spectrum, the chief executive of O2 has said. Ronan Dunne, the boss of the UK’s second-largest mobile network, told City A.M. that the £2.3bn raised for the Treasury was “not actually a surprise to us” [...]
BT takes on BSkyB in the battle for pay-TV with ESPN purchase February 25, 2013 BT has agreed to buy ESPN’s UK and Ireland television business as it bids to loosen BSkyB’s grip on the pay-TV sports market with the launch of its own channels. The deal, which includes the ESPN and ESPN America channels, will see BT take on ESPN’s live sports rights package in Britain and Ireland, including [...]
Osborne hit by £1.2bn shortfall from 4G auction February 21, 2013 THE TREASURY will bank far less than expected from an auction of 4G spectrum, with bidding leaving a black hole of more than £1bn in George Osborne’s accounts. After weeks of secret bidding, the UK’s four mobile operators, along with BT, will spend £2.34bn on airwaves to deliver the next generation of mobile services, far [...]
4G off to a slow start as EE fails to woo users February 19, 2013 THE LAUNCH of the UK’s first 4G mobile network has so far failed to convince Vodafone and O2 customers to switch to EE, company results suggested yesterday. EE, which owns Orange and T- Mobile as well as its new self-branded network, signed 201,000 new customers to contracts during the final quarter of last year. The [...]
Standard owner wins London TV February 4, 2013 LONDON will gain its own TV station next year, after the race to operate the channel was awarded to Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev, the owner of the Evening Standard and Independent newspapers. Communications regulator Ofcom announced that Lebedev’s London Live bid had beaten four competitors to win the rights to the contract. London is one [...]
Licences given for local TV January 28, 2013 THE UK moved a step closer to switching on its local TV network yesterday, when channel operator Comux was awarded the licence to operate the spectrum for the new channels. In addition to the 19 local TV areas already announced, Comux – owned by broadcast firm Canis Media – said it would cover 28 further [...]
Lords to quiz Ofcom chief exec January 27, 2013 Ofcom’s plans for media regulation could be revealed tomorrow as the regulator’s chief executive Ed Richards is grilled in the House of Lords. The Communications Committee will quiz Richards as part of an inquiry into media convergence, which has become an increasing issue with BSkyB selling internet connections and BT and Virgin Media entering the [...]