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 [...]
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 [...]