Tag: OFCOM
Sky needs to issue ‘end of contract notifications’, claims Ofcom
An initial investigation by telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Sky UK (Sky TV, Sky Broadband) may have broken consumer protection rules over its apparent refusal to issue end-of-contract notifications to Pay TV customers. The regulator’s End-of-Contract Notifications (ECN) system requires all fixed broadband, mobile, home phone and pay TV providers to…
BT to extend full-fibre broadband to 25m premises by 2026
BT said today (May 13th, 2021) it would extend its full-fibre broadband network to 25m premises by the end of 2026. The provider aims to fund the remaining 5m homes and businesses through a joint venture with other parties. It is thought the move, which could cost up to £50bn, will lead to as many…
Telecoms companies need to improve customer service, claims Ofcom
Telecoms firms need to go further in tackling customer service problems, despite the support they offered during the pandemic, Ofcom has found. In 2019, the UK’s biggest broadband, phone and pay-TV providers committed to putting fairness at the heart of their businesses and going beyond their legal obligations for how they treat their customers. Ofcom’s review of progress against those commitments has found that many companies have taken steps to provide fairer deals,…
Tech Digest daily round up: AI wins its first crossword competition
Matt Ginsberg is good at a lot of things - he is an AI scientist, author, playwright, magician and stunt plane pilot. But he isn't very good at crosswords. In fact, despite writing them for the New York Times, he says that when they are published, he often cannot solve his own. So when he…
Digital divide narrowed during pandemic, Ofcom suggests
The UK’s digital divide has narrowed during the coronavirus pandemic, as people go online to escape the lockdown, Ofcom research suggests. The proportion of homes without internet access appears to have fallen from 11% in March 2020, when the UK entered lockdown, to 6% of homes in March this year. Adults with previously limited digital…
Ofcom to build new digital tech hub in Manchester
Ofcom has today announced plans to open a major new digital and technology hub in Manchester, with the creation of up to 150 new jobs by 2025. Ofcom regulates communications in the UK – from broadcasting to telecoms and the postal service. However, it is now preparing for new duties to help make the internet…
Tech Digest daily round up: Apple patents ‘smart mattress’
Like something out of Wallace and Gromit, Apple has applied to patent a futuristic mattress sensor that can monitor people’s sleep and then wake them up by gently moving them in the morning. The iPhone maker has been working on an “in-bed haptic device,” according to a filing, which would be inserted into a person’s…
One in three video-sharing users find hate speech
A third of people who use online video-sharing platforms (VSPs) have come across hate speech in the past three months, according to new Ofcom research. The communications regulator found that 32% of VSP users had witnessed or experienced hateful content, of which most (59%) was directed at a racial group. Hateful content was also seen…
Tech Digest daily round up: Burberry designs clothes for Honor of Kings
Luxury fashion brand Burberry has designed outfits for one of China’s biggest video games. Players can buy the clothes - known as skins – to adorn in-game characters. Tencent-owned developer TiMi Studios collaborated with the designer for its multiplayer online battle game Honor of Kings. The new skins - which feature Burberry's signature trench coat…
Vodafone pays £176 million for next-gen 5G spectrum
Vodafone has purchased 40 MHz of spectrum in the 3.6 GHz band for next-generation 5G mobile services in Ofcom’s latest 5G auction. Paying £176.4 million for the frequencies, Vodafone now holds 90 MHz of 3.4 - 3.6 GHz spectrum. The new spectrum acquired will enable Vodafone UK to significantly expand 5G network capacity to meet…
