Telecom giants come to blows over airwaves July 11, 2016 An upcoming radio spectrum auction has become the latest battle ground for the UK’s warring telcos. Network operator Three, owned by China’s CK Hutchison, has called on the telecoms industry regulator Ofcom to limit how much of the radio spectrum its rivals can own. Three’s chief executive Dave Dyson wants the regulator to prevent any [...]
BT boss Gavin Patterson warns cyberattacks have soared 1,000 per cent in 18 months January 21, 2016 BT’s networks are having to deal with “hundreds of thousands” of cyber-attacks every single day, chief exec Gavin Patterson told delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Attacks have skyrocketed by 1,000 per cent in the past 18 months alone, according to Patterson – and they aren’t just becoming more frequent, but also more [...]
BT creating 1,000 new UK jobs in bid to move criticised customer services back to the UK January 18, 2016 BT announced today it would be creating 1,000 new jobs in the UK, as the telco giant works to move its criticised customer services back to the country. BT’s goal is that at least 80 per cent of customer calls are answered from within the UK by the end of the year, and to that [...]
Sky to broadcast sharper football matches and movies from August July 14, 2016 Broadcaster Sky is going to offer a range of channels and programmes in Ultra HD from August. The move is part of Sky’s Q Silver service, and subscribers will need a supported TV-top box and TV that allows the format to watch. The picture quality offered by Ultra HD can be up to four times that [...]
Cloud nine: IBM announces major UK expansion, following Facebook and Google commitments November 22, 2016 IBM has joined fellow US tech giants Facebook and Google in announcing a major multi-million dollar investment into the UK. The company is today announcing plans for four new cloud data centres – where corporate and consumer information is stored remotely – in the UK “to keep pace with growing client demand”. The commitment marks IBM [...]
Vodafone has ditched separate line rental charges amid regulatory pressure over pricing August 9, 2016 Vodafone – the mobile phone giant that has recently turned its hand to broadband – has said it will scrap line rental charges in a UK industry first. Both new and upgrading home broadband customers in the UK will not be billed the £18 monthly charge if they commit to an 18-month contract. Vodafone came late to the broadband party in the [...]
Virgin Media catches up to rivals with its first 4K TV set-top box November 30, 2016 After much teasing and trailing, Virgin Media has finally launched its first ultra HD 4K TV set-top box. Virgin – whose owner Liberty gave the company its backing post-Brexit vote – is joining the likes of rivals Sky and BT in pushing 4K content to the masses, offering four times the resolution of high definition broadcasts. The TV [...]
Big City bosses batten down the hatches for Brexit deal drag August 24, 2016 A drawn-out Brexit process would have a dire impact on the UK's investment and growth according to some of the City’s top veterans as they brace themselves for a lengthy divorce from the EU. Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of advertising giant WPP, BT chairman Sir Mike Rake, and private equity guru Jon Moulton [...]
EE boss Olaf Swantee will step down after BT deal with Marc Allera named successor January 4, 2016 EE boss Olaf Swantee will step down following the mobile network's soon-to-be completed £12.5bn merger with BT. Swantee, chief executive since 2011, will be succeeded by Marc Allera, currently chief commercial officer at EE. “As we approach the imminent completion of the deal with BT and the start of an exciting new chapter for EE, I’ve taken [...]
The FA to receive huge $1bn boost after negotiating bumper new TV deal for the FA Cup October 22, 2016 The Football Association has secured a $1bn (£820m) boost to their coffers after agreeing a lucrative six-year TV rights deal for the FA Cup. An announcement will be made next week revealing the sale of international TV rights to sports marketing agencies Pitch International and IMG from the 2018/19 season. Pitch International have negotiated a $300m deal for EMEA [...]