Lord Adonis writes to Ofcom boss urging action plan to tackle mobile service disparity across the country December 18, 2017 The chair of the National Infrastructure Commission has written to the head of Ofcom for “urgent and radical action” to tackle the disparity in mobile services across the country. Lord Adonis said legal and regulatory changes should be considered, after figures revealed large parts of the country may not be getting the most basic services [...]
Will legally separating BT and Openreach be enough to give broadband customers a better deal? March 10, 2017 Kate Devine, head of home communications at MoneySuperMarket, says Yes. Legally separating BT and Openreach should be seen as a victory for broadband customers. It will offer a better deal for many, built on the promise to treat all customers equally in terms of repairs and services, in comparison to the current system, which is [...]
BT customers to see bills reduced by at least £5 under Ofcom proposals February 28, 2017 BT customers will see their landline-only bills cut by at least £5 a month, according to new plans published by communications watchdog Ofcom. The regulator conducted a review of the landline-only market, announced in December last year, and found that customers on such contracts – who are often elderly or vulnerable people who have remained with the [...]
BT needs to be able to “hire and fire” Openreach board and had to get the deal done before starting pension negotiations March 10, 2017 BT chief exec Gavin Patterson has said having the ability to “hire and fire” the Openreach board was a red line that the telecoms giant couldn’t cross in agreeing a deal with Ofcom over the future of its infrastructure arm. And breaking the deadlock with regulators over Openreach’s independence was imperative before entering into negotiations with [...]
BT share price rises as it agrees solution with Ofcom after “long and challenging” debate over the future of Openreach March 10, 2017 Shares in BT were up more than three per cent as the market opened, after it emerged it will retain control of broadband provider Openreach, although the company will be carved out. Watchdog Ofcom announced this morning the "biggest reform of Openreach in its history is set to conclude" after the FTSE 100 firm met [...]
Three leads new campaign to curb BT’s mobile network dominance November 28, 2016 Some of the UK’s telecom challenger brands are teaming up to lobby the communications watchdog over BT’s dominance over the airwaves. Three UK is leading a group – that includes TalkTalk, CityFibre, and Relish – which is calling on Ofcom to prevent one mobile network owning more than 30 per cent of the UK’s mobile spectrum. [...]
BT and Ofcom’s Openreach deal: Here’s how City analysts, competitors and consumer groups reacted March 10, 2017 BT and telecoms regulator Ofcom this morning announced that they'd settled their differences over the future of Openreach, the company that owns the majority of Britain's telecoms infrastructure. It's been a long road for both parties, and it did appear that Ofcom was going to be forced into going to European authorities to force through [...]
BBC to cut 300 jobs in its production arm October 13, 2016 The BBC will cut 300 jobs in its production arm as part of a wide-ranging restructuring, it said today. The broadcaster said the number of staff at BBC Studios will be slashed as it continues to cut costs – with most of the job cuts taking place in England. As part of the BBC's cost-cutting drive, it has [...]
Broadcast regulator ramps up diversity pressure on BBC October 11, 2016 The broadcast regulator’s chief executive has ramped up pressure on the BBC over diversity. Ofcom’s Sharon White also said that although the corporation holds a “special status” in public life, it will not receive “special treatment” when the body begins overseeing the broadcaster next year. Read more: BBC’s £60m hotel bill: 2016 on track to [...]
Ofcom announces reform plans for Openreach – or it risks being split from BT July 26, 2016 TalkTalk boss Dido Harding has called for Ofcom to fully separate BT's broadband networks division from the rest of the group, warning that BT may "game the system" if it is allowed to continue controlling the business. The media and telecoms watchdog today recommended a set of reforms for Openreach which will make it more independent [...]