Latest UK News – Page 69
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PeopleEx-BT chair teed up to lead UK audit regulator
Business Secretary Kwarteng puts Jan du Plessis forward for appointment to chair the FRC amid governance struggles on the audit watchdog’s “underweight” board. FRC in transition, and requires a chair able to partner with government.
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Strategy & ChangeBT ramps up health tech plans with formation of Clinical Advisory Board
Eight NHS clinicians will aid BT in development of its healthcare solutions. Latest in a string of moves showcasing the telecom’s healthcare ambitions.
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M&AVM O2 CEO happy as spectator to BT takeover saga
Lutz Schüler, CEO at Virgin Media O2, said he “thanks God” his business is not distracted by shareholder goings on. Comes after Patrick Drahi expanded his shareholding in VM O2 rival BT. Schüler’s attention fixed on customer experience improvements and fibre rollout.
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Partnerships & AlliancesBT joins industry bodies in health-tech drive
Operator added to Health Tech Alliance and The Kings Fund as part of effort to expand in the industry through collaboration. Health a sector of interest to CEO Jansen amid BT Enterprise resurgence.
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M&ADefences up as Drahi increases BT stake
Patrick Drahi’s Altice UK stops short of a takeover bid, but increases holding to 18%. UK government issues warning that it “will not hesitate” to protect national interests amid concerns of foreign investment in critical infrastructure incumbent. Takeover not Drahi’s ‘intention’, but caveats are in place.
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M&AWill Drahi come knocking on BT’s door?
Six months on from French billionaire’s surprise raid on BT, Altice UK now free to up its stake or mount a takeover bid. Jansen called in for meeting with UK government minister to get the lowdown on Drahi’s intentions.
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Suppliers & SCMOpenreach urges Vauxhall to build British ‘green’ fleet
Clive Selley, Openreach CEO, “in talks” with Vauxhall owner Stellantis to increase production of electric vehicles at its UK plant. Vauxhall supplies Openreach’s 28,000-strong commercial van fleet, which will be ‘green’ by 2030. 1,000 EVs currently on the road in Openreach livery.
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Financial & PerformanceTalkmobile revamp takes a knock from COVID-19
Vodafone UK’s bid to refresh side-business Talkmobile gets bogged down as economising customers and intense competition hit revenue. OpCo still sees inhouse MVNO as a useful defence mechanism against low-cost mobile rivals.
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PremiumTelefónica people moves: wholesale lead named at VM O2
VM O2 appoints Diego Tedesco to lead its Fixed Wholesale business in challenge to incumbent Openreach. SME-focused team also filled in at newly-merged UK operator, with appointments in marketing, products, and sales. Telefónica Tech draws in new faces from across the Group footprint.
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Public AffairsBT slammed for lack of action on spoofing
IP altnet pokes incumbent over limited success in rooting out fraudulent use of caller ID. BT focused on industry collaboration to address fraud challenge. Migration to all-IP by 2025 portrayed as critical to effective remedies for the problem.
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Innovation (R&D)DCMS allocates £36m in R&D funding for 5G projects
Future RAN competition rewards 15 companies, including four BT partners. UK government distributes funds as part of its Supply Chain Diversification Strategy. Also sets target for 35% of UK mobile network traffic to be carried via open RAN by 2030. 2G, 3G expected to be retired by 2033 at ...
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Network & InfrastructureAltnets prep fibre wholesale platforms to rival Openreach
Two platforms aim to create full-fibre marketplaces for altnets and resellers. Signs of confederation among the UK’s 80-plus altnets, as wholesale competition heats up. Platforms facilitate Project Gigabit wholesale mandates and One-Touch Switching.
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Network & InfrastructureHow CityFibre rolls with supply chain turbulence
Fibre builders not immune from global supply chain chaos. UK altnets feeling the pinch in chip and labour shortages, alongside rising costs. CityFibre supply chain director shares mitigation tactics.
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M&ABT Sport mulls Discovery JV as DAZN buyout stalls
Discovery in talks with BT over sports broadcasting partnership. Deal would offer strong alternative to DAZN’s £600m buyout attempt.
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PremiumElsewhere in Vodafone Europe: Ofcom sticks to its guns on paired 2.1GHz spectrum
Spanish operators to continue to pay “RTVE tax” into 2023; Ofcom stays firm on paired 2.1GHz spectrum pricing, but will consult further on unpaired 2.1GHz spectrum fees.
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Network & InfrastructureLow-orbit satellites could jeopardise space exploration, astronomers warn
Elon Musk’s Starlink plans to launch over 12,000 satellites Project, among others, could waste “a serious amount of public money”
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PremiumElsewhere in Vodafone Europe: VfD and Sky test new App at the Bundesliga
VfD and Sky Deutschland test new Sky 5G Multiview App during Bundesliga match; Vodafone Italy brings forward net-zero goal; Vodafone Business ties with Trend Micro in Spain.
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PremiumVodafone bulks up with full-fibre wholesale deals
Deals give Vodafone UK access to eight million full-fibre homes by April 2022. VfUK open to more wholesale partnerships. If Virgin Media O2 needs convincing for its wholesale plans, VfUK is interested.
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PremiumVodafone gets role as DCMS allocates RAN R&D funds
Future RAN competition rewards 15 companies. Flex-5G project, partnered by Vodafone, attracts £4.7m in government funding. Funds distributed as part of Supply Chain Diversification Strategy. Government sets target for 35% of UK mobile network traffic to be carried via open RAN by 2030. 2G, 3G expected to be retired ...
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Enterprise (B2B)Dublin up: BT Ireland relocates B2B support
Move of service desk ops furthers expansion of BT’s workforce in Dublin. Transfer forms latest step in long-running customer experience transformation programme. Deep-Insight advising BT Ireland on customer-centric strategies.