Up for the cup: Sutton United bask in overdue return to spotlight January 5, 2017 Non-league Sutton United may be cast as extras in the FA Cup script but nearly 30 years after their last show-stopping third round performance the part-timers are busy rehearsing their lines for a long overdue encore. It was January 1989 when Sutton, playing as they are today in English football’s fifth tier, knocked out top-flight Coventry [...]
Telco giants Vodafone, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin and BT reignite broadband battle November 11, 2015 The war of words between the UK’s biggest telecoms giants reached new heights yesterday, as the clock ticks down on Ofcom’s probe into the broadband market and decision on whether to carve out Openreach from BT. With Ofcom due to reveal its verdict in January, Vodafone’s boss accused BT of trying to “re-monopolise” the sector, prompting [...]
Deutsche Telekom posts mixed results and remains unsure over Trump and Brexit November 10, 2016 Europe’s largest telcoms group Deutsche Telekom has posted a six per cent uptick in revenues for its third quarter, beating expectations. Deutsche Telekom – which now controls a 12 per cent stake in BT following the sale of its EE joint venture – saw shares track lower on the results however. The numbers Group revenues grew by [...]
Ofcom warns BT that internet status quo is likely to change as Vodafone, TalkTalk and Sky pile on the pressure December 1, 2015 OFCOM yesterday said Britain is doing well in rolling out superfast broadband compared with other major European economies, yet it added that the status quo in the industry is likely to be altered. Service providers, such as TalkTalk and Sky, have demanded that Openreach, which provides the infrastructure connecting people to the internet, be spun [...]
Telefonica calls up bankers for O2 market float September 25, 2016 Telefonica, the Spanish owner of mobile network O2, has stepped up plans to float the business in London. It’s appointed a top team of investment bankers, with Barclays leading the deal. UBS and Morgan Stanley will also be working to sell O2 to investors, with a fourth bank expected to be named in shortly. Read [...]
Reflections on my year as lord mayor – and why London will remain the world’s greatest city October 31, 2016 As I enter my final fortnight as lord mayor, I have spent some time reflecting on my year in office. I have been privileged to witness and support many areas of commercial progress during my international visits, domestic travels, and here in the City of London. I am also greatly looking forward to a number [...]
Bank of England corporate bond buying details unveiled September 12, 2016 Electricity companies are set to be big winners from the Bank of England's upcoming corporate bond buying programme, according to official documents published this afternoon. Threadneedle Street has unveiled the details of its £10bn money-printing programme which will see it buy high-quality company bonds, with one-quarter set to be channelled to electricity companies such as [...]
Reactions to BT-EE merger: Telco rivals TalkTalk and Vodafone lash out after Competition and Markets Authority waves through £12.5bn merger deal January 15, 2016 Telco rivals have lashed out furiously, after the UK’s competition watchdog waved through BT and EE’s £12.5bn merger, which was given the final green light early this morning. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the takeover was unlikely to cause “significant harm to competition or the interests of consumers” as the UK mobile market is so [...]
Santander, BT and Odeon go barmy for Bond ahead of the Spectre premiere October 19, 2015 Is it just us, or did London’s businesses bulk-buy thousands of tickets to the new Bond film next week and call it a “corporate event”? Private screenings are being held all over London by companies to celebrate the release of Spectre, with some firms jostling for space in the capital on the same night. Monday will be [...]
Vodafone chief exec Vittorio Colao clashes with BT over “re-monopolisation” of telecoms market November 10, 2015 Vodafone’s chief exec Vittorio Colao has gone head to head with BT, lashing out at the upcoming BT-EE merger, which he attacks as the “re-monopolisation” of the telecoms market. “We see attempts to re-monopolise European markets, and that isn’t good,” said Colao. His attack follows the by the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) provisional approval of the £12.5bn [...]