Ofcom fines Virgin Media and EE £13m for overcharging customers November 16, 2018 Ofcom has slapped EE and Virgin Media with combined fines of £13.3m for overcharging customers who ended their contracts early. The regulator said that EE had charged 400,000 customers up to £4.3m too much over a six-year period. Up to 15m mobile, landline and broadband customers were stuck in contracts with “excessive early exit charges”, [...]
Square Mile lags behind Orkney Islands to clinch the slowest internet in Britain November 9, 2018 Homes in the City of London have the slowest internet in the country, with speeds even in the remote Orkney Islands outstripping the square mile, a study has shown. Residential fixed-line broadband speeds average 15.1 megabits per second in the City, almost seven times slower than York, which is the fastest in Britain. This puts the Square [...]
It’s make or break for the telecoms sector’s shot at reform November 8, 2018 One of the great ironies of the telecoms industry is that, for a sector that is primarily focused on technological innovation and future infrastructure, certain aspects of it are decidedly backwards looking. There’s a clear divide between, say, the gathering momentum in the roll-out of ultrafast broadband and the distinct stasis when it comes to the [...]
Three ploughs £2bn into race to be the first to launch 5G November 7, 2018 Mobile network Three today said it will invest more than £2bn in 5G as operators race to be the first to roll out the new technology. Three said its investment in infrastructure puts it in a strong position for the launch of commercial 5G, which it hopes to bring to customers in the second half of next [...]
‘Self-regulation ship has sailed’: UK data watchdog targets Facebook after Cambridge Analytica scandal November 6, 2018 Facebook showed a “disturbing level of disrespect” for users whose data was stolen in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, according to the head of the UK’s data watchdog. Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham also called for the tech giant to be regulated, saying she was “astounded” at the sheer amount of personal data held by the social [...]
The ASA watchdog is regulating the Wild West of online marketing and advertising October 29, 2018 It goes without saying that the web has revolutionised the global economy. As a source of knowledge and information, as well as a marketplace for trade, it has created jobs, fuelled innovation, and accelerated productivity (well, it has when we’re not browsing Twitter or watching Netflix). The internet has also changed advertising. The digitisation of [...]
Goldman Sachs-backed Cityfibre to spend £2.5bn on full-fibre broadband roll out October 24, 2018 British broadband operator Cityfibre has today said it will invest £2.5bn on rolling out full-fibre broadband across its network of 37 towns and cities in the UK. Reaching 5m homes, this will make up one third of the government's target to serve 15m by 2025. The company was bought in June earlier this year by Antin [...]
Block Vodafone’s takeover of Liberty Global, top executive urges regulators October 22, 2018 The head of Germany’s third largest mobile operator has asked regulators to block Vodafone’s €18bn takeover of Liberty Global’s assets in the country. Markus Haas of Telefonica Deutschland said the deal “poses a considerable threat to consumers”. Read more: Vodafone looks to raise €4bn of hybrid bonds to fund Liberty Global deal The chief executive, [...]
Ofcom to investigate EE and Vodafone over network coverage claims October 2, 2018 Ofcom has launched investigations into Vodafone and EE over claims the mobile phone giants provided inaccurate information about their data coverage in rural areas. The regulator said EE, owned by BT Group, may have over-predicted its 3G coverage in rural areas and opened an investigation into the mobile operator. Ofcom said it had also identified [...]
BT transfers 31,000 staff to Openreach in ‘final major milestone’ of separation October 1, 2018 BT today confirmed it had transferred 31,000 employees to infrastructure arm Openreach in what it says is the "final major milestone" in the legal separation of the two organisations. The move is believed to be the largest ever one-off people transfer in UK corporate history. BT also announced its Northern Ireland division has been rebranded as [...]