After a troublesome few years with customer service woes and the slipping from the top spot in terms of network leadership, Vodafone marked a confident return to the stage on Thursday with an impressive 5G demonstration at their ‘Future Ready’ analyst and media event.
Far-reaching regulation of social media in the UK draws closer
The interim report published by the DCMS committee of the UK parliament has cast a light not only on the role of social media platforms in spreading disinformation, but more importantly on the willingness of policymakers to take the matter into their own hands. The report issues a set of recommendations which would result in strong regulatory safeguards around platforms’ activity. If the UK government takes the committee’s recommendations on board, the self-regulatory approach could be off the table, in the UK at least.
Ofcom answers calls for predictability and certainty when it comes to full fibre
Ofcom's announcement is part of the wider narrative and background work which has been taking place between government, regulator and industry lately. Many will be encouraged to finally see a more joined-up and collaborative approach emerge. This announcement though should be seen as a directional document, the detail of which will follow in the relevant market reviews Ofcom carries out. This note considers the steps Ofcom have outlined and the subsequent reaction and follow-up by key industry stakeholders.
UK Government unveils long-awaited Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review
In publishing the review, the Government has set a clear course to accelerate improvements to the UK’s digital infrastructure. While many recommendations have been presented, it’s clear this is only the beginning of change. The suggestion is that much of this will fall to Ofcom to refine, implement and enforce. In this note we look at the main recommendations coming out of the FTIR and consider how they are likely to be met by the industry.
Why the ICO’s Facebook investigation demonstrates the power regulators now have
On 10 July 2018, the UK Information Commissioner Office (ICO) published an update on its investigation into data analytics in political campaigns i.e. the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal. The ICO has decided to fine Facebook £500k – the maximum possible amount under pre-GDPR data protection rules. The fine would have been much higher had GDPR applied. It also sent warning letters to 11 political parties, requiring them to accept audits of their data protection practices, among other actions.
BT reshapes consumer division
Following last week’s Q4 results, today we saw how BT Group plans to implement its new strategy starting with the reshaping of its consumer division. There were a number of announcements made, the most important of which we have summarised here.
BT – Q4 results and the biggest shake-up in a decade
After a two year slide, during which the share price has practically halved, trust and confidence amongst BT's investors needs to be rebuilt. Accordingly, the company has announced its biggest overhaul in a decade which sees cost stripping and job losses but also new hires and investment.
Ofcom completes UK 5G spectrum auction
Ofcom has today announced the outcome of the principal stage of its auction to release airwaves for 4G mobile and future 5G services in the 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz bands. In the auction, Vodafone spent the most of all operators, O2 acquired all of the available spectrum at 2.3GHz and and BT/EE's share of spectrum fell as per the auction rules.
UK: Ofcom finalises Wholesale Local Access Market review
Ofcom has finalised the Wholesale Local Access market review. The draft statement reinforces many messages from last year’s consultation and crucially maintains a new charge control for Openreach’s anchor fibre product. A greater emphasis is being put on access to BT’s duct and pole network in light of the strong momentum towards full-fibre from broadband companies other than Openreach.
Ofcom pushes ahead with 2.3/3.4GHz spectrum award despite industry concerns
Ofcom has finalised how the 2.3 and 3.4GHz spectrum will be awarded and in doing so has decided on two different restrictions on bidders. The auction timetable expects bidding to begin as early as late October 2017, but given the strongly held positions by some in the industry, that looks ambitious.
