Ofcom opens investigation into Shell Energy’s telecoms division

UK comms regulator Ofcom has launched an investigation into Shell Energy, with regard to rules around end-of-contract and annual ‘best tariff’ notifications to broadband and landline customers.

New telco alliance wants to turn 5G start-ups into global powerhouses

A group of five operators plus one towerco have joined forces to give budding young companies the ability to reach a worldwide audience. Called Alaian, the group comprises Telefónica, MTN, Bouygues Telecom, KPN and WindTre, which between them boast 700 million customers spread across 50 markets in Europe, Africa and Latin America. Passive infrastructure provider […]

Smartphone shipments fell globally in Q1, dragged by a Chinese slowdown

Global smartphone shipments fell by 12.9% in Q1 2022 to 308 million units, representing the third consecutive quarter that figure has gone down, according to analyst firm Omdia.

Huawei’s steady decline continues

Chinese vendor Huawei has issued one of its minimal quarterly numbers bulletins and it reveals yet another fall in revenues.

Doubt creeps into the mmWave business case

Question marks are appearing over the use of millimeter wave (mmWave) technology for 5G, with growth in investments in the sector slowing last year.

The inevitable Musk Twitter backlash gets off to a faltering start

Those who would dictate the parameters of public discourse are unhappy Twitter is being acquired by someone they can’t control.

KT Cloud could be worth $2 billion

KT is reportedly mulling selling off a chunk of its recently-created cloud business, a move that could value the unit as a whole at US$2 billion.

Nokia’s Q1 profit drops 17% thanks to Russia and supply chain issues

Finnish kit vendor Nokia’s profits for the first quarter of 2022 clocked in at €219 million, down from €263 million YoY, but the firm says it is still on track to hit its yearly targets.  

Bell launches AWS-powered edge services

Bell’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) partnership reached a new milestone this week with the commercial launch of multi-access edge computing (MEC) services.

BT finally makes EE its main consumer-facing brand

A sort-of rebrand means EE will become the flagship brand for consumers, and will ‘expand into new areas’ – though the BT brand will remain on home standalone broadband and landline services.

Huawei announces counter-intuitive recruitment drive

At its latest annual analyst summit, Chinese vendor Huawei once more struck a defiant note with the announcement of a new recruitment programme.

Shell Energy tops list of broadband complaints

ISP Shell Energy has generated the most amount of complaints to UK comms regulator Ofcom of all the major broadband providers, mainly due by faults and service issues.

BT ramps up quantum security effort with Toshiba and EY

BT and its partner in quantum crime-fighting Toshiba have laid claim to launching the world’s first quantum secured metro network.

Shareholders approve Italian broadband merger

Shareholders of Italian broadband providers Tiscali and Linkem have approved their merger plan, paving the way for completion of the deal later this year.

There are now over 1000 commercially available 5G devices

The Global (mobile) Suppliers Association says the number of announced 5G devices rose by 3.2% in March 2022, bringing the total number to 1,334, 677 of which are mobile phones.

VMO2 launches TV streaming device

UK converged operator VMO2 has launched a device called Stream for its broadband customers, which aggregates content from multiple TV services and allows billing for them to be controlled in one place.

NTT’s Space Compass JV to launch in two years

NTT and partner SKY Perfect JSAT have taken the next step in the creation of their space data centre business, setting up a JV company called Space Compass Corporation.

Let’s take Musk at his word on Twitter

Maverick billionaire Elon Musk has shaken up the status quo with his acquisition of Twitter, but why has he done it?

Google wants to cache in on the CDN hype

The content delivery network (CDN) market is getting more attention thanks to the hype around edge, and now Google wants in on the action.

Twitter reportedly poised to accept Musk acquisition bid

‘People familiar with the matter’ say Twitter is poised to accept Elon Musk’s offer to buy the social media platform for $43 billion.

CityFibre claims £38 billion of UK economic growth from fibre rollout

UK fibre builder CityFibre commissioned some research that ‘identified over £38b billion in potential economic benefits’ thanks to its full fibre rollout to 285 UK cities, towns and villages.

Belgium says no to 5G mmWave down south

The government of Belgium’s Wallonia region has given the go-ahead for an increase in radiation limits for 5G, but is sticking to its guns on health concerns about millimetre wave.

Vodafone investors running out of patience with CEO Read

UK-based Vodafone’s apparent struggle to strike a multi-billion pound asset sale is reportedly causing consternation among shareholders.

O2, EE, Vodafone and Three beaten by MVNOs on price and service

Virtual operators like Smarty, Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile performed better than the big four operators on customer service and value for money in a Which? survey.

Europe increases state censorship powers with the Digital Services Act

The European Union’s Digital Services Act claims to ensure ‘a safe and accountable online environment’.

Samsung and Virgin Media O2 Deploy Multiple Live 4G and 5G Sites

Samsung and Virgin Media O2 announced today the companies have successfully completed the deployment of multiple live 4G and 5G sites in the U.K., advancing the next phase of their collaboration. In tandem with this deployment, the companies also completed the first 5G data call on Virgin Media O2's commercial 5G network, using the sites.