News
Vodafone scraps roaming fees in much of Europe
Vodafone has scrapped roaming charges for UK customers in 40 countries, meaning they can use their plans there without additional costs. However, the new terms are being applied initially only to new or upgraded contracts. The EU is expected to abolish roaming charges for its 28 member states in June. Countries in Vodafone's roam-free destinations list include non-EU states such as Norway, Iceland and Turkey. Beyond these territories, mobile phone users will be charged £5 per day to use UK [...]
BT fined record £42m by Ofcom
Ofcom's reaction to Openreach broadband installation delays was a record £42m fine, but according to Bamboo Technology Group MD Lorrin White there remains big questions over how quickly the UK's fixed line network can be improved. "As a provider working in the fixed line arena for nearly 20 years we are used to the complexities and moving goalposts of Openreach's compensation processes so are not surprised to learn that rules have been breached to avoid successful claims," she said. "While [...]
BT and Ofcom agree deal to legally separate Openreach
BT and Ofcom have reached agreement on a long-term regulatory settlement that will see Openreach become a distinct, legally separate company with its own Board within the BT Group. The agreement is based upon voluntary commitments submitted by BT that the regulator has said meet its competition concerns. Once the agreement is implemented around 32,000 employees will transfer to the new Openreach Limited following TUPE consultation, and once pension arrangements are in place. Openreach Limited will have its own branding, [...]
BT denies squeezing customers after paying £1.2bn for Champions League
BT has denied customers are being forced to foot the bill for a new £1.2bn Champions League football rights deal after securing the contract in the wake of inflation-busting price rises for its broadband and phone services. The group has paid £1.18bn to fend off Sky and renew exclusive broadcast rights for Champions League and Europa League football. The deal which runs from 2018 to 2021, represents a 32% increase on the cost of its current three-year contract. The rights [...]
Avaya targets mid-market with cloud solutions and signs distributor ScanSource
Sensing the mid-market shift towards cloud adoption Avaya has targeted this high growth sector with the launch of new cloud solutions and signed ScanSource as its first EU wholesale provider for cloud comms. The cloud offering, which sits under the banner 'Powered by Avaya', enables channel partners to deliver the vendor's UC, contact centre and video conferencing solutions according to the deployment requirements of end users, whether on-premises, hybrid cloud or fully hosted. Avaya is also working with wholesale distribution [...]
EE shows off helium balloon mobile masts
Mobile phone provider EE has demonstrated helium balloons and drones that could provide 4G mobile coverage following damage to existing infrastructure. The devices are fitted with small mobile sites that include a base station and an antenna. They could also be used to connect remote parts of the UK where coverage is thin. EE said it planned to deploy such a network in a UK rural area this year. The drones can stay airborne for up to an hour [...]
KCOM appoints Offord as new Enterprise Sales Director
Phil Offord has joined KCOM as Enterprise Sales Director, bringing over 15 years of international business experience from across Europe and the US. He reports to Executive Vice Principal Stephen Long and will be responsible for the direction, development and management of the sales organisation. Long said: "Our sales team is focused on helping organisations to deliver their overall customer experience rather than just new technology. Phil's vision for the development and evolution of an enterprise sales function that listens [...]
Voiceflex set to launch FCA compliant SIP call recording
Responding to demand from partners Voiceflex is gearing up to launch FCA compliant SIP call recording and storage on March 1st. "Due to the large number of channels we support across multiple data centres, the conventional recording equipment wasn't man enough for the job," said Paul Taylor, Sales Director. Taylor also noted that call recording has become a de facto must-have within many sectors, a requirement that has been triggered by what he described as a prevailing 'culture of blame'. [...]
Avaya appoints Denk as Worldwide Channel Leader
Avaya has named Walter Denk as Worldwide Channel Leader responsible for creating and executing the partner strategy and leading revenue growth through the channel, which is comprised of more than 7,000 partners around the globe. Denk moves into the new role from his previous position as vice president of Avaya Germany's Small and Medium Business Group. Prior to Avaya, Denk held positions in Sales and Marketing at a number of global technology companies, including Deutsche Telekom, IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Samsung really wants you to believe the Galaxy S8 won’t explode
Samsung can’t get the world to forget about the explosive nature of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, so instead it seems to be putting a lot of effort into convincing people that the Samsung Galaxy S8 won’t have the same defects, or any defects at all, and it’s doing this in part with a video. Dubbed “Quality Assurance: Extensive Tests”, a new one-minute video made by Samsung shows a Galaxy S7 Edge being put through a barrage of tests, including [...]