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 [...]
Homeserve’s British boss steps down after 13 years at the firm October 23, 2013 THE BOSS of Homeserve’s British business is stepping down after 13 years at the embattled boiler repair and insurance firm. Jonathan King is quitting to pursue a non-executive career, the firm announced yesterday. He has steered the firm through several investigations into its selling practices, which saw the firm fined £750,000 by Ofcom last year. [...]
Ofcom offers new protection against mid-contract price rises October 23, 2013 Individuals and businesses will be allowed to leave their landline, broadband or mobile contract without a penalty if their provider increases the cost their monthly deal. Ofcom announced on Wednesday that it will instruct providers how to interpret and apply, telecoms sector rules with regard to price rises during fixed-term contracts. Ofcom also confirmed the [...]
Reform the regulators to ensure markets work in the consumer’s interest October 17, 2013 WHEN should governments intervene in markets? George Osborne recently described the Help to Buy scheme as a “necessary intervention” to fix a specific market failure – the shortage of high loan-to-value mortgages. Aside from concerns that this may pump up a housing bubble, Osborne’s comments – and Ed Miliband’s earlier proposal to inject more competition [...]
Ofcom could hike network fees next year October 10, 2013 MOBILE operators could see the annual fees they pay to use radio spectrum increase 400 per cent, according to a proposal from Ofcom yesterday. The fee increase could lead to higher mobile phone bills if operators decide to pass on the increases to consumers. Ofcom plans to hike the bill for 1800Mhz frequencies from £40m [...]
Mobile operators clash with Ofcom over price hike October 10, 2013 Regulator Ofcom may introduce new licensing fees which could quadruple the cost of using existing mobile spectrum. Speaking to the BBC operators said the increase was "excessive" and Vodafone said it was "disappointed" with the proposals. Ofcom believes the increase was justified based on comparable fees in other European countries. The current prices for the [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 3 October 2013 October 2, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES FBI raid $1bn Silk Road black market US authorities have seized more than $3m worth of Bitcoins after closing down Silk Road, the online marketplace that allegedly allowed more than a billion dollars of illegal drugs and illicit services to be bought using the virtual currency. As part of the raid, the Federal [...]
UK to test white space technology October 2, 2013 Ofcom has announced that the UK is to be one of the first countries in the world to test white space technology. 20 public and private organisations will be participating in Ofcom's pilot program in the next six months. White spaces are the gaps in the frequency band used to broadcast digital terrestrial TV. Ofcom [...]
Inside Track: More than one elephant in the Royal Mail sorting room September 25, 2013 IT’S NOT hard to identify the biggest of the elephantine threats to Royal Mail’s imminent stock market listing, which heralds the most contentious privatisation since the 1980s. With unions poised to ballot members over the prospect of industrial action within weeks, the prospect of a multi-day walkout at the precise time that the company’s shares [...]
Tesco enters the tablet market with £119 Hudl September 23, 2013 GROCERY giant Tesco unveiled its first foray into the consumer electronics market yesterday with the £119 Hudl tablet. Tesco said launching a tablet is an important step, “meeting the 21st century needs of customers”. The tablet’s price point missed analyst’s expectations, coming in above the £99 that was predicted last week. While the launch will [...]