Ofcom rolls out scorecards to compare phone and broadband deals January 9, 2020 Telecoms regulator Ofcom today launched a new initiative aimed at helping consumers compare offers from rival phone and broadband providers. The new performance scorecards will help Brits see which firms provide the best customer satisfaction, value for money and receive the fewest complaints. Read more: Ofcom to ban firms from selling locked mobile phones Overall, [...]
Four challenges Sharon White must address at John Lewis January 9, 2020 Incoming John Lewis Partnership boss Sharon White will have a big job on her hands when she joins the retailer next month, as this morning’s trading update showed. The department store issued a profit warning today and made the surprise announcement that John Lewis managing director Paula Nickolds will leave the partnership in February. It [...]
John Lewis issues profit warning as MD steps down January 9, 2020 John Lewis & Partners issued a profit warning today and said its managing director will leave the struggling business next month after underwhelming Christmas sales. The retail partnership warned full-year profits will be “substantially down” on last year as it revealed significant drops in both John Lewis and Waitrose revenue. Read more: Four problems new [...]
Ofcom plans to ‘supercharge’ rollout of full-fibre broadband January 8, 2020 Ofcom will “supercharge” British investment in full-fibre broadband by encouraging more competition in cities and supporting BT to roll out faster speeds in rural areas. In a new five-year plan set out today, Britain’s telecoms regulator proposed the introduction of different regulatory regimes for rural and urban areas. Read more: Broadband speeds are increasing but [...]
BBC iPlayer bags best ever festive fortnight thanks to Gavin and Stacey boost January 8, 2020 The BBC has hailed its most successful Christmas catch-up period ever as viewers clamoured for top shows such as Gavin and Stacey. BBC iPlayer booked 203m requests to download or stream programmes between 20 December and 2 January – up more than a third on last year and a new record for the platform. Read [...]
Broadband speeds are increasing but rural towns lag behind December 20, 2019 Rural areas of the UK are lagging behind cities and towns as Boris Johnson’ government brings the nation’s digital divide into focus. A report by Ofcom, the UK’s telecoms regulator, showed that around 155,000 UK properties can not access decent broadband. These homes will be able to request coverage from BT from March 2020, the [...]
Ofcom to ban firms from selling ‘locked’ mobile phones December 17, 2019 Communications regulator Ofcom has proposed a new set of plans which would prevent phone companies from selling ‘locked’ handsets. BT/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone still sell mobile phones that cannot be used on other networks without being unlocked first, which can cost £10. Read more: MPs say hands-free phones should be banned while driving The [...]
Negotiating a better broadband deal ‘could save £120 per year’ December 14, 2019 Consumers could save around £120 a year on broadband by negotiating with their internet suppliers, but around 45 per cent do not ask for a better deal, according to research from Which. Around 78 per cent of the more than 5,000 people surveyed revealed they had been offered an incentive, discount or better deal, by [...]
The Beeb needs reform December 10, 2019 In an unconventional move for a frontline politician at election time, Boris Johnson yesterday offered an honest and reasonably clear answer to a question. Asked what he thought of the BBC licence fee he said — whilst muttering something about not concocting policy on the hoof —that it seemed rather outdated. Well, he’s right. Some [...]
Election 2019: Boris Johnson raises red flag over Heathrow and HS2 December 9, 2019 Boris Johnson appeared to raise a red flag over major infrastructure projects including the expansion of Heathrow and HS2. Read more: Former Ofcom boss to advise on Heathrow terminal monopoly probe The Prime Minister, who broke off from campaigning in the north of England to speak to LBC radio, said that while he wasn’t “temperamentally [...]