Category Archives: Vodafone
Virgin Media in secret talks to get early 4G
Richard Branson’s Virgin Media is in secret talks with EE to become Britain’s second mobile operator to offer 4G mobile internet, it’s claimed.
The company already runs a “virtual” mobile network using EE infrastructure and is now said to be in discussion to offer its own 4G services, giving it a jump start over rivals. Continue reading
Vodafone in ‘climb down’ over disputed India tax bill
Britain’s Vodafone could be bracing itself to pay more than £1 billion to the Indian government despite resisting legal action so far.
The world’s second-largest mobile-phone operator after China Mobile has been locked in a tax feud with India over its 2007 acquisition of Hutchison Whampoa’s operations there.
The row relates to how Vodafone avoided a huge tax bill by concluding its $10.7 billion transaction offshore, using the company’s Dutch subsidiary Vodafone International Holdings to buy a Cayman Islands firm controlled by Hong Kong-based Hutchison. Continue reading
Britain’s 4G roll-out looks set for the courts
A simmering row over the roll-out of 4G in Britain looks set to blow up in the government’s face, despite the brokering of a temporary peace deal with mobile operators.
Next Friday [21st September 2012] Apple’s much-awaited iPhone 5 is launched in the UK but only EE, the new 4G brand from Everything Everywhere, will be able to offer it to customers. Continue reading
Discount war looms as iPhone 5 debuts
Today’s iPhone 5 launch could push European carriers into a profit-bruising war by forcing them to offer customer discounts on Apple’s latest smartphone, analysts believe.
with the new iPhone expected to sell 10 million units this month alone, the mobile industry is geared for a mass pre-Christmas rush. But individual operators are also faced with the dilemma of whether to subsidise the new handsets or watch as rivals, who are willing, steal business from them. Continue reading
Boris J likens new EE logo to pollen count
Rating: Perils of celebrity endorsements
Mayor of London [England], Boris Johnson, had the assembled hacks at the Press launch of the Everything Everywhere rebranding launch in fits of laughter. Everything Everywhere had just boasted that its new name and logo, EE, was based on seeing the whole world as a number of connected molecules. Unfortunately, the UK largest mobile network operator with some 27 million customers had picked a loose cannon in the shape of maverick politician, Johnson, to provide a celebrity endorsement. Boris promptly repaid the favour by referring to the logo as being based on the pollen count. There’s a moral in here, somewhere. Continue reading
Verizon Comm’s divi up, but joint venture with Vodafone still out in the cold
British mobile operator Vodafone’s shares looked set for another slide tomorrow [10th September 2012] following indications that its US partner Verizon Communications is keeping its hands in its pockets over calls for a dividend from the pair’s joint mobile venture.
Verizon Wireless, America’s largest mobile phone company, is 45 per cent owned by Vodafone through a partnership with US broadband operator Verizon Communications. But there’s growing suspicion Verizon Communications wants to buy out Vodafone’s stake and is making life tough by resisting investor calls for a dividend from the venture to reflect its growing profitability. Continue reading
Initial industry reaction to the Project Oscar UK m-commerce JV
Rating: Cautious welcome from 3 UK and CloudSense
Following the announcement, today [September 5th 2012] that the mobile commerce joint venture (JV) between Everything Everywhere {Orange plus T-Mobile), Telefonica UK (O2) and Vodafone UK has received unconditional clearance from the European Commission, there has been a cautious welcome within the UK’s cellular industry. A Three UK spokesperson revealed that the UK’s fourth mobile network operator was looking forward to receiving its invitation to join in with the other three. The triumvirate describe the impending new entity simply as the ‘Joint Venture’ but GoMobile News has learnt that its codename is Project Oscar. Continue reading
European Commission clears UK m-commerce joint venture
Rating: Everything Everywhere, O2 & Vodafone vow to push ahead
The European Commission has today [September 5th 2012] announced that the mobile commerce joint venture (JV) between Everything Everywhere {Orange plus T-Mobile), Telefonica UK (O2) and Vodafone UK has received unconditional clearance. That only leaves 3 UK on the outside, anyway. However, the triumvirate say, “The shareholders remain committed to making the JV services open to all – including all operators.” So the door is obviously open for 3 UK. In the meantime the three UK mobile operators have put out a joint statement which we have reproduced below. Continue reading
Vodafone and Zain announce multi-country partner market agreement
Significantly expands Vodafone’s presence in the Middle East and provides Zain with greater access to Vodafone’s global footprint
Press release
September 3rd 2012. Vodafone Group and Zain Group have jointly announced a Partner Market agreement that will significantly expand Vodafone’s Partner Market presence in the Middle East and provide Zain customers with greater support in Vodafone’s global footprint. Under the non-equity partnership agreement, Vodafone will work with Zain companies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq to provide customers with high quality communications services. Continue reading
Vodafone investors exasperated by lack of fruit from US mobile venture
Suspicions mount that partner Verizon Comm wants to squeeze it out of joint venture
Investors in Britain’s Vodafone are getting increasingly vexed over whether a special dividend is forthcoming through its joint ownership of Verizon Wireless, America’s largest mobile operator.
Verizon, 45 per cent owned by Vodafone, finally got around to paying a dividend in February this year [2012] after a long gap. It resulted in a £2.8 billion windfall for Vodafone most of which was distributed to its shareholders via a special 4 pence dividend. With Verizon’s revenues still on the up, analysts had expected the pattern to be repeated, calculating the dividend bonanza could rise to £3 billion this financial year and to £4 billion by 2016. Continue reading
Zenith enjoys 3 month ROI on fleet management system
Rating: Powered by TomTom and Vodafone’s M2M network
A study commissioned by Vodafone from Environmental Resources Management (ERM) has found that the lorry fleet operated by Zenith Hygiene Group has saved almost 600 tonnes of CO2 a year. Zenith has been deploying TomTom Business Solutions‘ business fleet management technology which is enabled by Vodafone’s global machine-to-machine (M2M) network. ERM reported that, “In financial terms, it is estimated that if Zenith Hygiene continues at the current level of fuel efficiency, it could save in the region of £218,000 per year on fuel costs, with a further potential £50,000 on reduced maintenance costs.” Zenith’s financial savings have resulted in an ROI (Return-On-Investment) being realised by the cleaning and hygiene firm within just three months. Continue reading
Vodafone rails against UK regulator’s 4G spectrum decision
Rating: This ain’t no level playing field, Ofcom
For a body which is supposedly mandated to create competition in the UK communications space (Of com), to make the decision it has today [August 21st 2012] is mind blowing. It has decided to give the go-ahead to Everything Everywhere to launch 4G/LTE services over existing 1800 MHz spectrum from September 11th 2012. In its decision the body said, “[This] will deliver significant benefits to consumers, and there is no material risk that those benefits will be outweighed by a distortion of competition. Delaying doing so would therefore be to the detriment of consumers.” Wow. How can allowing one of the four UK mobile operators to gain a head start over its rivals possibly be fair? Naturally, Vodafone has exploded and GoMobile News can see exactly why. Continue reading
UK to get first taste of 4G ‘before Christmas’
Ofcom ruling due today could give Everything Everywhere big lead over rivals
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom is expected to give the green light today [21st August 2012] for Everything Everywhere to sell a chunk of its spectrum to the Britain’s smallest operator, Three – giving Britain its first taste of superfast 4G within months.
If the sale is approved it would also allow EE, the owner of the T-Mobile and Orange networks, to start using some of its spectrum for 4G before Christmas and well ahead of rivals such as Vodafone and O2 who will have to wait until the forthcoming 4G spectrum auction. Continue reading
Vodafone shares ride high on rumours of Indian tax reprieve
Britain’s Vodafone could be let off the hook by India from a £1.4 billion capital gains bill on its acquisition of Hutchison Essar.
Vodafone India’s non-executive chairman Analjit Singh has revealed how India’s finance minister Palaniappan Chidambaram is more focussed on dealing with a weak rupee and sluggish home markets, rather than bringing Vodafone to book. Continue reading
Guest Post: What happens to recycled mobiles and tablets?
by Rob James for RPC Phone Recycling
Recycled mobile phones and tablet computers represent an important resource for developing countries and in reducing environmental damage. Millions of phones are dumped every year as users upgrade to new handsets, while tablets are exchanged and either kept in the home, or thrown away in some cases. Mobiles and tablets contain trace elements of precious metals like gold, silver and titanium, and can be recycled for use in developing countries by charities, as well as through the harvesting of parts. Cash or exchanges can be provided for these devices. Continue reading
