Royal Mail faces regulator Ofcom fines threat after blaming industrial dispute for missing service targets May 11, 2018 Royal Mail today blamed a bitter spat with postal workers for failing to meet its annual quality of service targets. Postal regulator Ofcom, which said it was “concerned that Royal Mail has fallen short” will now consider whether to slap it with fines of up to 10 per cent of “relevant turnover”. Last year Royal [...]
Digital Innovators: three life changing companies leading the way in the technology sector May 8, 2018 The way society lives tomorrow is changing today, as companies find new and exciting ways to apply technology to the world’s problems. Consumers can now check their bank account, book a holiday, and buy new furniture using their smartphone during the morning commute. With voice-powered assistants at home, and AI-powered, data-driven tools at work, the [...]
Runners and riders: Who will replace Mark Carney as Bank of England governor? May 8, 2018 The Bank of England will this week reveal its latest monetary policy decision, with investors having performed an abrupt u-turn on their bets it will raise rates. Investor bets indicate a probability of only seven per cent for a May hike, compared to an implied probability of more than 71 per cent at the end [...]
UK expected to lag behind US and China in race for 5G connectivity April 9, 2018 The UK and Europe are likely to lag behind the likes of the US and China in the race to roll out 5G connectivity, new research published today has shown. Technology research group CCS Insight predicted that the US could roll out 5G as soon as 2018, while China will establish itself as a leader [...]
Britain’s 5G auction starts tomorrow – and this is how it will work March 19, 2018 Mobile firms will today be putting the final touches to planned bids for tomorrow’s spectrum auction. Regulator Ofcom will tomorrow start the process of flogging packages, some of which will allow mobile providers to roll-out 5G plans in around a year’s time. Who is taking part? Despite a wide range of mobile providers in the [...]
DEBATE: After the attack on Sergei Skripal, should England’s football team boycott the World Cup in Russia? March 14, 2018 After the attack on Sergei Skripal, should England’s football team boycott the World Cup in Russia? Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy Studies, says YES. Russia is a gangster state. It has murdered on British soil, invaded its neighbours and annexed their territory, sponsored the partisans who shot down Flight MH17, interfered with [...]
EE, Vodafone and Telefonica among approved bidders for 5G auction February 27, 2018 Six service providers have been approved to take part in an auction which will pave the way for the rollout of 5G. Ofcom is releasing more airwaves in a “spectrum auction”, improving broadband and opening the UK up for 5G. Airspan, EE, Connexin, Hutchison 3G, Telefónica UK, and Vodafone have now been approved as qualified [...]
BT share price rises as regulators raise wholesale price caps February 23, 2018 BT investors were buoyed this morning by a regulatory announcement on the price it can charge its rivals to use its network. With shares rising almost four per cent, BT was one of the FTSE 100’s biggest gainers. Ofcom said it would not regulate the prices charged by infrastructure arm Openreach on its fastest broadband [...]
Ofcom’s 5G auction to go ahead after Three’s challenge slapped down February 13, 2018 Telecoms companies are one step closer to bringing 5G to the UK after a legal challenge was slapped down today. Three had attempted to challenge the rules of a spectrum auction which will divvy up airwaves to the big players, but its appeal was rejected. Ofcom is now expected to hold the auction in April, [...]
The Treasury has held secret meetings with the US Department of Justice to speed up a hefty RBS fine February 10, 2018 The UK Treasury has held a secret meeting with US officials to chivvy along a several-billion pound fine for Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Sky News has reported. The fine, which has been estimated by some analysts to be worth more than £5m, would draw a line under the bank’s pre-bailout misconduct relating to the [...]