UK fibre network operator and cableco Virgin Media has added cellular player Three as the latest wholesale partner for its wifi on the London Underground service. By the end of July, Three customers will be able to access wifi at over 144 Tube stations for no extra cost.
UK operator EE has dropped Huawei and called on NSN to supply technology for the next phase of its LTE rollout. NSN will provide EE with its Single RAN Advanced solution, enabling EE to run different radio technologies using single, multi-purpose hardware.
UK operator O2 has altered the terms and conditions of its subscriber contracts to sidestep rules introduced by regulator Ofcom last week. The regulator had announced that UK consumers and small businesses would be allowed to leave their mobile operator without paying a penalty fee if their service provider increased its prices mid-contract.
UK operator 3UK has confirmed its plans to launch 4G services in the country. The firm said it has already begun offering the service to existing subscribers with 4G ready phones in areas with 4G coverage. It will accelerate the rollout in January and all customers with a compatible device will be able to access 4G at no extra cost by the end of 1Q14 when they are in an area with 4G coverage.
UK network joint venture MBNL, created by T-Mobile and 3UK in 2007 and now owned by 3 with EE, is getting a change of management as the organisation shifts from the integration of the various UK networks held by its parents to an operational and cost-control model. Graham Payne, MBNL’s managing director and financial director Brian More O’Ferrall, are to leave the company, to be replaced by Pat Coxen of EE and Gervase King of 3UK.
With Vodafone and Telefónica-owned O2 launching their LTE services today, long awaited competition in the UK LTE market can now begin. Meanwhile the UK’s two other operators, 3UK and EE, piped up to remind the market of their own plans and achievements.
The UK arm of operator group Hutchison Whampoa said it has more than tripled its operating profit year on year during the first half of 2013. 3UK generated £86m in the first half of 2013, a 231 per cent increase on the £26m it pocketed in the first half of 2012.
All of the UK’s mobile network operators have extended their carrier billing offerings by connecting to Gemalto’s direct billing platform, the mobile security solutions provider announced.
The UK’s mobile operators have been granted permission to redeploy their existing 2G and 3G radio spectrum for 4G services.
Telcos are not the natural providers of enterprise cloud services because they do not come from the software industry, according to Kassir Hussain, director of technology for Centrica/British gas, and a former O2, Orange and 3UK network specialist.
The UK’s four mobile network operators and a subsidiary of fixed line incumbent BT have won LTE spectrum, regulator Ofcom has announced. But bidding was cautious, with the auction raising £2.34bn; £1bn less than the UK Treasury had hoped.
Seven firms have qualified to bid in the UK’s 4G spectrum auction, including three new entrants. Joining EE, 3UK, O2 and Vodafone are HKT – a subsidiary of PCCW; MLL Telecom; and Niche Spectrum Ventures – a subsidiary of BT.
UK operators could soon be facilitating payments for physical goods bought by subscribers via carrier billing services. Direct operator billing firm, Mach, has now signed Vodafone, Everything Everywhere, O2 and 3UK up to its Direct Operator Billing platform for digital goods, and said that the use of such a solution to purchase physical goods is on the horizon.
The mobile commerce joint venture between UK operators O2, Vodafone and Everything Everywhere (parent of the Orange and T-Mobile brands in the UK) has been granted unconditional approval by the European Commission (EC).
In a major coup for the Korean firm, Samsung has secured its first significant European network contract by signing a deal to supply 3UK with LTE Radio Access Network (RAN) and 3G/LTE core infrastructure equipment.
Following the decision announced today by UK regulator Ofcom to allow Everything Everywhere to offer LTE services in its existing 1800MHz spectrum at any point from September 11, 2012, EE has sold off part of its 1800MHz spectrum to 3UK.
UK fixed and mobile operators are divided over whether to sign up to a voluntary code of practice in support of net neutrality. While ten service providers have signed up, Vodafone, Everything Everywhere and Virgin Media have so far refused.
UK regulator Ofcom has unveiled plans for the country’s 4G spectrum auction. The UK has lagged other leading markets and Ofcom has revealed that spectrum will be allocated in 2013. Ofcom has set aside spectrum intended to guarantee the presence of four LTE operators in the UK market.
An MVNO that offers free mobile data in return for viewing adverts has launched in the UK. Samba Mobile is available for tablet and laptop owners and offers users a range of interactive adverts to drive engagement.
3UK’s CEO David Dyson has suggested that the operator could strike an agreement with Everything Everywhere to launch LTE using the T-Mobile/Orange JV’s spectrum in advance of the UK’s 4G auction.
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