BT promises faster and wider broadband internet coverage as fight kicks off between TalkTalk boss Dido Harding and BT CEO Gavin Patterson September 23, 2015 A war of words broke out between the UK’s telecom firms again yesterday, as TalkTalk boss Dido Harding accused BT chief executive Gavin Patterson of “grandstanding” with a series of pledges to improve broadband service unveiled yesterday. The BT boss said the company wants to “forge an ultrafast future for Britain and stand ready to [...]
A probe into Premier League broadcast rights has been dropped August 8, 2016 A major probe into the rights to air Premier League football on UK television has been dropped by the regulator. The two-year probe has been drawn to a close after Ofcom decided there was enough progress being made on making more games available to watch while football fans seemed largely happy. The investigation was first launched [...]
Mobile is the invisible infrastructure that can drive the economy in post-Brexit Britain October 6, 2016 This week’s State of Mobile Networks report served as a timely reminder of the importance that people and businesses across the UK place on mobile connectivity, particularly superfast 4G. But it also acts as a wake-up call to the fact Britain could be left behind in the global digital race and miss out on an [...]
Could Arsenal survive outside the Champions League in a post-Arsene Wenger future? March 8, 2017 Season after season, Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has been able to bank on Champions League income boosting the club's bottom line thanks to manager Arsene Wenger reliably delivering top four finishes. Yet with speculation surrounding the Frenchman’s position reaching fever pitch since a 10-2 aggregate hammering to Bayern Munich in the last 16 of this year's [...]
EE to create 600 jobs in UK, bringing all customer service roles onshore, as it pledges to fill 4G gaps “to the very edges of the UK” April 25, 2016 Mobile operator EE has announced plans to buck a trend – creating 600 customer service roles onshore, meaning all customer calls will be answered in the UK and Ireland by the end of the year. The move, which comes just weeks after the completion of BT's £12.5bn takeover of the firm, creating the biggest telecoms group in [...]
BT share price rises after EE merger “provisional” thumbs up from Competition and Markets Authority October 28, 2015 BT shares opened six per cent higher this morning, after the telecoms giant was given a provisional thumbs up from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on its £12.5bn bid to buy EE. The regulator said the deal is "not expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition in any market in the UK". CMA's inquiry chair John Wotton [...]
Virgin Media hits out at BT and Sky over Premier League football TV rights deal October 21, 2015 Virgin Media has fired the latest shot in the battle of the broadcasters over the way TV rights for football games are sold. Research commissioned by Virgin showed that just six per cent of football fans said they were able to watch every match they wanted to on TV at home. Media watchdog Ofcom launched an [...]
Sky plots Spain launch as online TV war escalates August 14, 2016 The battle for control of the growing online streaming market is heating up as Sky prepares to launch Now TV in Spain. It’s understood Sky plans to use Spain as a springboard in to other European markets if the Spanish launch is a success. Now TV will be competing directly with US streaming site Netflix in [...]
Perform kicks off live sports streaming service in three European countries August 10, 2016 UK-based media company Perform has launched its live sports video streaming service in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. DAZN – inexplicably pronounced Da Zone – is described by Perform as the world’s first dedicated live sports streaming service and allows subscribers to watch games on demand. Football is expected to be the services' top draw with the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A, Frances' Ligue [...]
The Ofcom 4G spectrum sale has been postponed until 2016 due to Telefonica and Hutchison’s O2 Three merger and BT and EE’s mobile mega deal December 3, 2015 The government's sale of 4G spectrum which is expected to net the Treasury at least £70m has been delayed by the deal between Hutchison and Telefonica to merge mobile its networks O2 and Three. The auction process was due to commence this month, however, it will now go ahead as late as summer next year to wait for an EU decision on [...]