Tag Archives: three
Britain’s Three hints at volte-face on 4G rollout
May now bring it forward rather than lose customers
Britain’s fourth biggest mobile operator, Three (3UK), may bring forward its introduction of 4G networks in a bid to counter the headstart gained by rivals. The carrier had originally intended to introduce 4G by the end of 2013, but now CEO, David Dyson, has revealed its customers could have access to the ultra-fast networks by this Summer if thought necessary. Continue reading
Sales on rise at China’s Huawei, despite western fears over Red Army links
China’s Huawei, the world’s third-biggest smartphone maker, expects revenues to grow by an average of 10 per cent over the next five years as robust home demand counters weak sales abroad.
Sales in China, which accounts for about a third of its business, were up 12.2 per cent last year while its revenues elsewhere in the world rose 6 per cent – the exact reverse of 2011, according to the company’s 2012 annual report.
But Huawei is still struggling to fight off suspicions in the west that it might be a threat to security, given its former ties to the state. Thouugh the manufacturer has previously pledged to provide more financial detail and shareholder information, the latest report sheds little further light on its structure. Continue reading
Three growing faster than rivals despite absence of 4G
Also running at a profit for the first time
Britain’s fourth biggest mobile operator, Three (3UK), added 900,000 new customers in 2012 despite the threat of its rivals starting 4G networks months ahead of it. The carrier, owned by Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa, says it now has 9.1 million subscribers and is growing at a faster rate that Vodafone, 02 and EE, even though they all have 19 million customers upwards. Continue reading
Posted in 3, Everything Everywhere, Financial, Vodafone, o2
Tagged full year trading, hutchison whampoa, three
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Ofcom poised to outlaw mid-term price hikes on mobile contracts
Customers will also get right to cancel without penalty charge
Mid-contract price hikes for millions of UK mobile users will become a thing of the past under plans by the country’s regulator Ofcom to outlaw the practice. At present customers on contracts involving monthly billing can only cancel if price rises cause “material detriment”, a legally untested term, otherwise they are invariably obliged to continue paying until the deal ends or face an exit penalty. Continue reading
Posted in 3, Vodafone, mobile billing, mobile news, o2, orange, t-mobile
Tagged customer billing, EE, o2, ofcom, three, Vodafone
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Huawei scoops £120m contract from Three despite security fears
Mobile telecoms group Three has awarded a £120 million management contract to controversial Chinese equipment Huawei, despite an ongoing investigation by the UK government.
Huawei, started by ex-Red Army member Ren Zhengfei around 25 years ago, has already been blocked from taking part in Australia’s multi–billion pound national broadband project with similar moves afoot in the US. Though it has denied it still has any links with Beijing rulers, it hasn’t prevented former defence and foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind from seeking a parliamentary review into the company’s activities. Continue reading
Posted in 3, China, Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE
Tagged £120m contract, ericsson, Huawei, three
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4G bidders may get low cost loans from European bank
Cash boost could improve next week’s auction prospects
Britain’s mobile operators could be in line for cheap loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to fund 4G roll-out once successful applicants from the nation’s spectrum auction, starting next week, are selected. The bank has already agreed to lend the country’s biggest operator EE around £350 million to upgrade its mast network and, according to insiders, is similarly interested in backing successful bidders of 4G. Continue reading
Posted in 3, 4G, Everything Everywhere, Mobile Broadband, Vodafone, o2
Tagged 4G, EE, European Investment Bank, o2, three, Vodafone
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Chancellor counts on 4G chickens to ease Britain’s debt
UK could lose AAA rating if debt isn’t brought under control
Credit agencies are circling over Britain following yesterday’s [December 5th 2012] ‘mini budget’ revealing how reducing the nation’s 2012-13 deficit hinges largely on how much the government receives from its forthcoming 4G auction. UK Chancellor, George Osborne, told the House of Commons that he expects to receive £3.5 billion from the auction next month [January 2013] but Brian Potterill, director of PwC’s telecoms strategy team, is among those suggesting that it might generate as little as £2 billion. Continue reading
Posted in 4G, Everything Everywhere, Mobile Broadband, Vodafone, mobile news
Tagged 4G auction, Brian Potterill, EE, Fitch, George Osborne, mini budget, o2, PwC, three, Vodafone
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Vodafone in the dock over ‘misleading’ 4G adverts
EE says main rival shouldn’t promise a service it has yet to be awarded
Britain’s Vodafone is being reported to the Advertising Standard Authority by arch rival EE amid accusations it is duping customers with ‘misleading’ 4G claims. EE, the country’s biggest mobile operator which owns Orange and T-mobile, stole a seven month march on rivals recently when it was allowed to introduce 4G services using existing spectrum. Others like Vodafone, O2 and Three, will have to wait until around summer 2013 before they too can offer superfast services. Continue reading
Britain’s 4G auction roll-out details finally unveiled
Government whip cracking pays off
UK regulator Ofcom has finally unveiled details of how the nation’s 4G spectrum will be auctioned, though money raised will only be a fraction of that garnered for 3G. Applications for the 800 MHz and 2.6G Hz bands will be accepted on December 11th 2012, less than a month away, with the qualification stage to determine which companies can actually bid decided soon after. The reserve price for the spectrum sell-off will be a mere £1.3 billion, much less than the £22 billion raised for 3G licences, though whoever wins will be under an obligation to reach 98 per cent of the UK. Continue reading
Posted in 3, 4G, Everything Everywhere, LTE, Vodafone, o2
Tagged 4G auction, EE, o2, ofcom, three, Vodafone
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UK mobile operators in plan to share networks during outages
Stop the fighting and start cooperating, suggests EE’s Olaf Swantee
Talks are in the pipeline between Britain’s four mobile operators which could see them share each others’ networks during blackouts, EE’s boss Olaf Swantee has revealed. EE, which owns Orange and T-Mobile and whose new 4G network launches tomorrow [30th October 2012], is Britain’s biggest network provider with 27 million customers and has most to lose in the event of an outage. Earlier this month rival operator O2 faced a storm of criticism when its network went down for the second time in six months, hitting 2.2 million customers. Other network providers such as Vodafone have suffered similar problems in the past, with matters not helped by the growth of smartphones and the corresponding rise of network-hungry apps. Continue reading
Posted in 4G, Everything Everywhere, Vodafone, mobile news, o2, orange
Tagged 4G, blackouts, EE, network sharing, o2, ofcom, olaf swantee, orange, outages, t-mobile, three, Vodafone
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Vodafone sneaks in another UK price rise ahead of regulation
Millions of Vodafone UK customers are to be hit with another “sneak” price hike in their bills at the start of next month, despite moves by regulator Ofcom to outlaw such contracts.
The operator, which earlier this year reported annual profits of £9.5 billion, is increasing monthly bills by up to 2.4 per cent on 1st November 2012, adding 59p per month to the average customer bill. It is estimated it will raise tens of millions of pounds for the company and follows similar rises imposed by Orange, T-Mobile and Three. Continue reading
Posted in Vodafone, orange, t-mobile
Tagged mobile contracts, ofcom, orange, t-mobile, three, Vodafone
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Crunch day tomorrow for Britain’s 4G
Government’s last roll of the dice to avoid court action
Last ditch attempts to broker a ceasefire over Britain’s 4G roll-out take place tomorrow [2nd October 2012] when network operators meet to avert litigation. Though the auction of 4G airwaves isn’t due to take place until the end of the year [2012], these now could be brought forward by the government if the warring parties agree to support Ofcom proposals. Continue reading
Posted in 3, 4G, Everything Everywhere, Vodafone, mobile news, o2, orange, t-mobile
Tagged 4G, EE, Maria Miller, o2, ofcom, t-mobile, three, Vodafone
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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
Posted in Everything Everywhere, Vodafone, mobile news, o2, orange, virgin
Tagged 4G, EE, o2, Richard Branson, three, virgin media, Vodafone
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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
Posted in 4G, Everything Everywhere, LTE, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Operators, Vodafone, mobile news
Tagged everything everywhere, ofcom, three, Vodafone
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Blueface launches fixed line services for smartphones
Small business owners in Ireland can now benefit from a virtual landline number on their smartphone via a new app, launched today by Blueface in partnership with the 3 network.
The iPhone app is the first of its kind in Ireland and promises ‘big business phone services at small business prices’, by enabling business owners to run a fixed line telephone number from their smartphone and make cost savings as well as the convenience of a landline number for customers. Continue reading
Posted in Announcements, iOS, mobile news
Tagged 3 IE, blueface, eire, ireland, three, vodafone one net, voip
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