News

Mobile apps and software

• January 29, 2021 29 Jan'21

  Dell, SK Telecom, VMware bring 5G edge to enterprises

  IT giants team with telco to collaborate on an integrated multi-access edge computing system with the aim of providing more secure and reliable access to data at edge locations

• January 29, 2021 29 Jan'21

  Commerzbank announces big job cuts and branch closures

  German bank is closing hundreds of branches and cutting thousands of jobs as it reshapes for the digital age

• January 29, 2021 29 Jan'21

  Telcos accelerate digital transformation but revenues remain store-based

  Report reveals operators still rely mainly on physical channels to sell their products and services, but know the value that digital sales can create for them

• January 28, 2021 28 Jan'21

  More than one in six households struggling to afford broadband in UK

  With UK lockdown persisting and education online until March at the earliest, research finds broadband customers in receipt of low-income benefits almost twice as likely to struggle to pay their bill than other customers

• January 28, 2021 28 Jan'21

  Smartphone industry roars back in Q4 2020 as iPhone propels Apple to new heights

  The past 12 months as a whole may have been challenging for the smartphone industry, but the industry enjoyed an end-of-year renaissance driven by a staggering $66bn worth of iPhone sales

• January 28, 2021 28 Jan'21

  JP Morgan Chase hires for UK digital bank launch

  US banking giant hires in the UK in preparation for digital consumer bank launch

• January 28, 2021 28 Jan'21

  Contactless payment limit could rise to £100 as FCA seeks industry views

  UK financial services regulator is considering raising the contactless card payment limit to £100

• January 28, 2021 28 Jan'21

  UK government reviews law on access to land for digital infrastructure

  Reacting to reports that agreements have been slow to conclude, holding up the roll-out of better mobile and broadband connectivity, UK government consults on changes to the legal framework for agreements on access to land for digital infrastructure

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  UK broadband customers count cost of quietly expired contracts

  Almost three million UK high-speed broadband customers – a third of those whose deal ended in the past year – say they were not informed when their contract ended, as mandated by the UK comms regulator, costing around £90 per household

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  O2, Three, Vodafone team to enhance rural mobile coverage

  Three of the UK’s leading mobile operators announce plan to build and share infrastructure to boost 4G rural coverage in the first part of a national scheme to improve mobile connectivity in hard-to-reach places

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  Grindr complaint results in €9.6m GDPR fine

  Norway’s data protection authority plans to apply a fine totalling 10% of LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr’s revenues over its data sharing practices

• January 27, 2021 27 Jan'21

  Global VPN downloads surge in 2020

  Repressive regimes’ regulatory demands and remote working see virtual private network usage rocket over the past 12 months

• January 26, 2021 26 Jan'21

  Virtualisation, automation and network slicing increasing operators’ focus

  Research reveals added pressure on networks in the post Covid-19 world, with access network performance as the primary factor that most impacts subscriber experience

• January 26, 2021 26 Jan'21

  Barratt enlists UK network leaders to install full-fibre broadband across all new homes

  At a time when the country has never been so dependent on fast and reliable home broadband, leading house builder has teamed with UK broadband leaders to ensure new builds are in the digital fast lane

• January 26, 2021 26 Jan'21

  Telia takes Ericsson 5G to transform industrial inspection as Project Reindeer runs

  New partnership will benefit Swedish industry by performing livestream industrial inspections via drones, while more details are released on Ericsson’s EU-funded 6G initiative

• January 26, 2021 26 Jan'21

  Virgin to enter UK 5G fray but regulator delays 5G spectrum auction

  UK operator marks ‘milestone’ moment in its history with 5G offer to add to gigabit broadband, but Ofcom puts on hold the process to gain mid-band frequencies

• January 26, 2021 26 Jan'21

  Wireless Broadband Alliance rolls out roadmap for 5G, Wi-Fi 6 convergence

  New industry guidelines highlight critical role next-generation wireless technology will play in the long-term success of 5G, outlining convergence opportunities for optimising business innovation and customer experience

• January 25, 2021 25 Jan'21

  NEC announces 3x MIMO capacity gain for mmWave 5G CPE

  Aiming to contribute to the development of mmWave 5G mobile access networks and building ecosystems among operators and suppliers, tech giant claims landmark achievement

• January 25, 2021 25 Jan'21

  GSMA: mmWave 5G showing signs of market readiness

  With 5G roll-outs and adoption progressing quickly and with the mmWave ecosystem showing signs of readiness, the main question the mobile industry faces is where and when mmWave systems can be cost-effective

• January 22, 2021 22 Jan'21

  Vodafone unveils ‘instant’ Wi-Fi

  Telco targets digital households and small businesses with new mobile router for use cases including support for video calling, streaming and online learning

• January 22, 2021 22 Jan'21

  BT connects Dutch diplomatic missions

  New software-defined network services designed to enable secure collaboration and support digital transformation of network supporting Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• January 22, 2021 22 Jan'21

  Nine out of 10 UK card payments in 2020 were contactless

  Contactless cards payments accounted for around 90% of card payments in the UK in 2020

• January 21, 2021 21 Jan'21

  Optus taps Nokia for 5G tech to enhance stadium experiences

  With crowds slowly returning to outdoor venues in Australia after lockdown, comms tech provider and leading local operator deliver gigabit wireless in-stadium connectivity

• January 21, 2021 21 Jan'21

  Nokia, Mobily unveil world’s first sliced FWA deployment

  Global comms tech provider teams with Saudi Arabian telco to pilot world’s first 4G and 5G fixed wireless access network slicing on a live commercial network

• January 20, 2021 20 Jan'21

  Few workers see employers as ready for new normal

  Study finds vast majority of workers feel employers are not fully prepared to support the longer-term move to a hybrid workforce, prompting a need for organisations to plan their ‘future workplace’ better

• January 20, 2021 20 Jan'21

  HSBC closing more branches as customers turn to digital channel

  Bank announces branch closures as it reshapes its network for the digital age

• January 20, 2021 20 Jan'21

  Broadcast, media sector presents telcos with digital transformation opportunities

  Analyst sets out potential winning strategy for telcos in entertainment sector with 5G, multi-access edge computing and network slicing, as well as virtualisation and cloud

• January 19, 2021 19 Jan'21

  Legacy security architectures threaten to disrupt remote working

  Annual survey of IT leaders finds network security is of prime concern as most companies continue with work-from-home policies

• January 19, 2021 19 Jan'21

  Click fraud levels reach new heights in pandemic

  Small companies risk losing £10,000 a year, and enterprises as much as £520,000, to cyber criminals as click fraud volumes spike

• January 19, 2021 19 Jan'21

  AE Aerospace claims 5G landmark in transforming manufacturing productivity

  Leading UK manufacturing business and partners trial 5G to pioneer productivity improvements and drive recovery in key sector hit hard by Covid

• January 18, 2021 18 Jan'21

  Three UK, Tata team to accelerate 5G network roll-out

  IT services, consulting and business solutions provider employed to help UK operator configure and maintain its next-generation mobile network and ensure first time right network operations

• January 15, 2021 15 Jan'21

  Private LTE/5G market set to reach £4.2bn in 2024

  Research firm predicts sales of private LTE/5G infrastructure to show 43% CAGR from 2019 to 2024, potentially worth an estimated $5.7bn (£4.2bn)

• January 15, 2021 15 Jan'21

  Google Cloud, Nokia accelerate readiness for cloud-native enterprise 5G solutions

  Cloud platform provider and comms tech supplier announce plans to jointly develop cloud-native 5G core solutions for communications service providers and enterprise customers with cloud capabilities to the network edge to accelerate enterprise ...

• January 15, 2021 15 Jan'21

  Coalition proposes secure standard model for Covid-19 passports

  Vaccination Credential Initiative is working to ensure that people vaccinated against Covid-19 can access their records in a secure, verifiable and privacy-preserving way

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  BT cries foul on rivals’ coverage claims as O2, EE extend UK 5G nets

  Two of the UK’s mobile giants make significant additions to next-gen networks, but BT consumer CEO warns that rivals are not giving customers meaningful levels of coverage and quality in their 5G offers

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  Port of Felixstowe lands funding for UK government 5G trial

  UK’s largest and busiest container port to test the potential of 5G across two use cases: enabling remotely controlled cranes and optimising predictive maintenance though IoT and AI

• January 14, 2021 14 Jan'21

  Zoom reveals phone product spike, public offer price

  Strong service performance, reliability and enterprise-grade features drive uptake of Zoom Phone as still rapidly growing conferencing firm announces $1.75bn share offering

• January 13, 2021 13 Jan'21

  Yearly expectations smashed with £105bn spent on mobile apps in 2020

  With the world of work changed forever due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mobile apps cash in, with consumer spend increasing 20% annually with business apps showing particular spike in usage

• January 13, 2021 13 Jan'21

  EE 5G to deliver BBC Green Planet augmented reality experience

  Increased 5G network capacity will enable AR experience for landmark BBC series using holographic video to explore the world from the perspective of plants

• January 13, 2021 13 Jan'21

  Covid-19 immunity passport tests to begin in UK

  A Covid-19 immunity and vaccination passport developed by two UK firms and backed by Innovate UK has entered the live testing phase

• January 12, 2021 12 Jan'21

  Virgin Media aims for in-home connectivity transformation with Intelligent WiFi Plus

  As it ramps up gigabit network development in locations across the UK, cableco launches Wi-Fi access devices to work with new access system to bring up to three times faster in-home wireless speeds

• January 12, 2021 12 Jan'21

  Covid-19 has led to a 25% increase in health app downloads, research shows

  The pandemic has led to a huge increase in health apps downloads, particularly mental health apps, where downloads have increased 200%, as people struggle to cope during the crisis, according to Orcha

• January 11, 2021 11 Jan'21

  BT removes mobile data charges for BBC Bitesize educational content

  As part of a broader partnership between the UK’s public broadcaster and its incumbent telco, hugely popular and award-winning BBC Bitesize programming slot is to be zero rate for all EE, BT Mobile and PlusNet Mobile customers

• January 11, 2021 11 Jan'21

  Used smartphone sales to dial in near double-digit growth in 2020

  Research shows refurbished and used devices continue to provide cost-effective alternatives for businesses looking to save money when buying a smartphone

• January 08, 2021 08 Jan'21

  BT offers unlimited data for remote learning

  UK incumbent telco joins campaign to make sure disadvantaged children can get connected as Covid-19 lockdown closes schools and other educational establishments

• January 07, 2021 07 Jan'21

  Nordic digital innovation offers a proactive approach to mental health

  Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to support people suffering mental health issues – and digital technology can help

• January 07, 2021 07 Jan'21

  Jeremy Darroch steps down as Sky Group chief executive

  Exec who transformed former satellite TV provider into Europe’s largest multi-platform communications provider with mobile, telephony and FTTH steps down after 13 years

• January 06, 2021 06 Jan'21

  Qualcomm appoints new CEO

  Claiming validation of its business model and leadership in 5G, the communications chip giant appoints successor to retiring chief executive with brief to drive value

• January 06, 2021 06 Jan'21

  Viasat checks in with Delta to boost in-air connectivity

  US airline adds next-generation Ka-band satellite technology to mainline fleet to help modernise how passengers stay connected and enjoy content during travel

• January 06, 2021 06 Jan'21

  Operators join UK government’s kids’ mobile access scheme

  UK mobile operators join scheme to help families that need access to connectivity to support their child’s learning needs during the latest lockdown, while BCS calls for free mobile access to education sites

• January 05, 2021 05 Jan'21

  Banking trade body calls for increased contactless payment limit

  UK Finance proposes an increase in the limit on spending using contactless cards

• January 05, 2021 05 Jan'21

  Ooredoo Group expands Ericsson 5G tech agreement

  New agreement promises new functionalities with faster time-to-market and enhancements to the digital experience for people, enterprises and industries across operating companies in 10 countries

• January 04, 2021 04 Jan'21

  Ericsson to power DTAC 5G network in Thailand

  Almost half of Thailand’s 70 million population to be served by a new 5G radio access network from leading local communications service provider DTAC

• December 30, 2020 30 Dec'20

  Top 10 telecoms and mobile stories of 2020

  Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 telecoms and mobile stories of 2020

• December 29, 2020 29 Dec'20

  Top 10 financial services stories of 2020

  Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 financial services IT stories of 2020

• December 23, 2020 23 Dec'20

  5G coverage set to reach over half of global population by 2025

  Despite 5G deployment still facing various challenges, operators are making progress in addressing major issues

• December 23, 2020 23 Dec'20

  Cisco reveals intention to acquire Dashbase

  Networking tech and services giant gets out the corporate chequebook for the third time in a matter of weeks to buy customer experience and analytics software provider

• December 22, 2020 22 Dec'20

  UK parliamentary committee slams government broadband targets as unrealistic

  Report highlights missed targets and overpromising in gigabit infrastructure roll-out and urges government and national regulator to take bolder, faster action to address the causes of costs and delays

• December 22, 2020 22 Dec'20

  Top 10 retail technology stories of 2020

  Computer Weekly looks at what 2020 had in store for the retail industry – just how did technology help retailers adapt to changing customer behaviour during the pandemic?

• December 21, 2020 21 Dec'20

  5G roll-outs to continue apace in 2021

  New 5G launches will be led by telcos in forerunner markets, but the industry’s near-term outlook will depend on the timing of an economic recovery

• December 21, 2020 21 Dec'20

  Gigabit proliferates as UK’s fixed and mobile networks take the strain from Covid

  The UK’s fixed and mobile networks take the strain of remote working and increased online entertainment uptake

• December 17, 2020 17 Dec'20

  Huge uptick in global 5G deployment across 2020

  Although yet to fully accommodate the boost it got from the recent launch of suitably enabled iPhones, the 5G market has enjoyed a strong third quarter, according to data from mobile testing specialist

• December 16, 2020 16 Dec'20

  Networking infrastructure issues peg back firms adapting to Covid-19 new normal

  Survey shows inadequate infrastructure is preventing businesses from meeting challenges around remote working and omni-channel customer demand and holding them back from embracing more innovative technologies

• December 16, 2020 16 Dec'20

  Singapore employees want more support for remote working

  Singapore workers faced challenges in accessing internal company resources, spotty connections and had to use their personal devices for business while working remotely

• December 15, 2020 15 Dec'20

  Ericsson sets sail with enhanced maritime connectivity

  Swedish tech provider aims to rectify lack of options for at-sea communications where traditional satellite comms have seen high prices, high latency and low throughput

• December 14, 2020 14 Dec'20

  Giffgaff goes AWS to drive operational transformation

  UK mobile virtual network operator selects Amazon cloud as part of plan to accelerate innovation and enhance new services

• December 14, 2020 14 Dec'20

  Zoom, Google Meet, TikTok dominate mobile app downloads in 2020

  Study from leading analytics firm reveals how 2020’s mobile app arena has been transformed through Covid-19, and how the app providers are setting up for 2021

• December 11, 2020 11 Dec'20

  Three UK gears up for 2021 business expansion

  UK mobile network operator sets out plans to enhance business proposition over next 12 months, improving connectivity, how it operates and how it interacts with customers

• December 10, 2020 10 Dec'20

  Challenger banks hindered by lack of customer confidence

  Despite an acceleration in the use of digital banking services, challenger banks face the obstacle of winning customer trust

• December 10, 2020 10 Dec'20

  Deloitte: Cloud, intelligent edge and telemedicine set to accelerate in 2021

  Global market for intelligent edge computing will expand to $12bn in 2021, with more than 400 million video visits to doctors worldwide across the year

• December 08, 2020 08 Dec'20

  SMEs need to acknowledge remote working lessons to prosper post-Covid

  Research from integrated cloud communications platform provider finds that over two-fifths of SME employees believe that, with effective communication tools, productivity would be the most improved business challenge in the “new normal”

• December 07, 2020 07 Dec'20

  Nokia to be technology lead for EU 6G project

  Finnish comms tech provider is the project leader for European Commission’s flagship initiative for research into the next generation of wireless networks

• December 07, 2020 07 Dec'20

  Ericsson, TIM, Qualcomm, claim 5G FWA speed milestone

  Although fixed wireless access has not yet gained as much publicity as other use cases for the next-generation infrastructure, its potential in connecting those in remote areas to 5G is vast and a consortium of technology vendors and leading Italian...

• December 07, 2020 07 Dec'20

  GSMA launches digital access guidelines to help disabled people

  Industry organisation GSMA has launched a framework of guidelines aimed at making mobile technology more accessible for people with disabilities

• December 07, 2020 07 Dec'20

  Grindr and others patch critical Android bug

  Fixes for CVE-2020-8913 deployed as app developers shore up their defences against a disclosed Google Play vulnerability

• December 04, 2020 04 Dec'20

  What next for the now-profitable app-based Starling Bank?

  Starling bank is the first of the new breed of UK digital banks to make a profit, so where next?

• December 03, 2020 03 Dec'20

  Allied Irish Bank prioritises digital services as it cuts workforce

  Bank is cutting its operating costs by 10% with job cuts and facility closures, but will continue to invest heavily in technology

• December 03, 2020 03 Dec'20

  Lax Android app developers putting millions of users at risk

  Eight months after Google patched a critical vulnerability, developers have failed to update their apps, putting millions of users of apps such as dating services Bumble and Grindr at risk

• December 02, 2020 02 Dec'20

  Three continues UK 5G roll-out

  UK operator now offers 5G in 154 towns and cities serviced from over 800 sites across the UK and announces partnership with Ericsson that includes roll-out of 5G and improvements to 4G network

• December 01, 2020 01 Dec'20

  UK government sets out 5G tech diversification strategy

  Second reading of the Telecoms Security Bill outlines specific measures to restrict the use of Huawei’s goods, services and facilities in 5G networks and details of the new 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy designed to build a resilient, open...

• November 30, 2020 30 Nov'20

  Faster-than-predicted growth for 5G with 3.5 billion subs forecast by 2026

  Despite uncertainties caused by Covid-19, new research from Ericsson reveals that the pace of introducing new 5G functionality has increased in 2020

• November 30, 2020 30 Nov'20

  Orange unveils plans for French 5G roll-out

  Two years after gaining spectrum for 5G services in its home territory, the mobile network operator reveals first French cities for 5G deployment using 3.5GHz frequencies

• November 27, 2020 27 Nov'20

  Plymouth to host world’s first 5G ocean-based marine testbed

  5G docks at Plymouth Sound with virtualised testing platform designed to put the city at the forefront of marine and maritime innovation

• November 27, 2020 27 Nov'20

  Ericsson taps into industry momentum for network orchestration and automation

  Swedish comms tech provider rides the wave of orchestration and automation systems supporting cloud-native functions and orchestrating services across domains, from the edge to private and public cloud

• November 26, 2020 26 Nov'20

  Broadband access drives New Zealand remote working to be permanent fixture

  Covid-19 crisis pushes Kiwis to do more online and the changes are sticking, according to research from ANZ telco and media research and consulting firm

• November 26, 2020 26 Nov'20

  UK broadband industry ‘confused’ by government funding claims

  National broadband suppliers and trade bodies express surprise and lack of enthusiasm for Spending Review claims of providing positive outcome for gigabit roll-out across the country

• November 26, 2020 26 Nov'20

  Vodafone, Ericsson trial automated flight paths for connected drones

  UK fixed and mobile operator and comms technology provider take to the sky to ensure safe passage for drones

• November 26, 2020 26 Nov'20

  Inadequate home internet speeds contribute to ‘digital divide’ during UK lockdown

  Survey reveals connectivity speeds are considered inadequate in 30% of properties and over one-third admit to judging the competence of colleagues who have connectivity issues during conferencing sessions

• November 25, 2020 25 Nov'20

  Legacy tech adds to management headaches in dealing with new normal

  Concerns raised over post-Covid return to the office, with virtually all C-level leaders admitting to still using offline processes and significant numbers believing their company will prioritise business continuity over safety

• November 24, 2020 24 Nov'20

  Fintechs take stock amid economic shocks

  Survey reveals that the top priority for 10% of UK fintechs next year will be to survive the double blow of Covid-19 and Brexit

• November 24, 2020 24 Nov'20

  Belgian security researcher hacks Tesla with Raspberry Pi

  Belgian security researcher Lennert Wouters once again succeeds in hacking a Tesla vehicle, this time by exploiting the Bluetooth Low Energy standard

• November 24, 2020 24 Nov'20

  Nokia enables global enterprise IoT connectivity for China Mobile

  Comms tech giant and leading Chinese operator reach strategic agreement to provide IoT global connectivity services for both China and international customers based on Worldwide IoT Network Grid managed service, expanding operator’s capability

• November 23, 2020 23 Nov'20

  Birmingham, Dudley councils accelerate 5G roll-out

  Local authorities say developing fifth-generation mobile network infrastructure is critical to driving economic recovery in the region post-Covid

• November 20, 2020 20 Nov'20

  RCS forecast to deliver $52.2bn for mobile operators by 2028

  Inability for digital banner advertising to drive consumer brand engagement will see billions in media spend diverted to RCS brand campaigns, dramatically boosting mobile operator revenues.

• November 20, 2020 20 Nov'20

  Widespread adoption of WBA OpenRoaming on the cards

  Cross-industry survey reveals rapid uptake and widespread acceptance of wireless broadband standard announced in May 2020

• November 19, 2020 19 Nov'20

  Nokia, Elisa and Qualcomm claim 5G speed record with 8Gbps connectivity in Finland

  Combined speeds from two devices hit 8Gbps on a commercial 5G network on mmWave spectrum, showing support for low-latency, high-bandwidth services such as high-speed video downloads and virtual and augmented reality

• November 19, 2020 19 Nov'20

  5G defies Covid to stay set to transform industries across the board

  Despite fears of a halt to development, study sees increased 5G investment during pandemic, with 5G-related investment rising by double digits compared with 2019 forecast and 5G-related jobs set to soar

• November 18, 2020 18 Nov'20

  Huawei claims £3.3bn contribution to UK economy

  Extent of communications technology provider Huawei’s positive contribution to the UK economy in terms of cash and jobs has been identified in independent report

• November 18, 2020 18 Nov'20

  How Aarogya Setu is addressing scale and security challenges

  India’s contact-tracing platform leverages microservices, encryption techniques and cloud-based visibility tools to address scale and security requirements

• November 17, 2020 17 Nov'20

  5G-powered manufacturing, construction and agriculture to lead £15bn in UK growth

  Research finds full realisation of 5G could deliver significant additional economic growth for the UK, with three industries accounting for more than three-quarters of projected business