News

Mobile apps and software

• May 07, 2020 07 May'20

  Contact-tracing app fails to protect privacy and human rights

  Reassurances over the security and human rights implications of NHSX’s approach to developing its Covid-19 contact-tracing app are insufficient, says the cross-bench Human Rights Committee

• May 07, 2020 07 May'20

  Brits expected to call time on office life after lockdown

  O2 Business study reveals currently displaced workers see a permanent change to their company’s approach to flexible working

• May 06, 2020 06 May'20

  UK comms experts continue to question contact-tracing app

  Academics and comms industry experts challenge UK government scientists on their defence of NHS contact-tracing app, in particular the issue of centralised data gathering

• May 06, 2020 06 May'20

  Cash use to go below 5% of total spending in Middle East

  Banks expect a rapid reduction of the use of cash in the region

• May 06, 2020 06 May'20

  Telcos lose out in early enterprise 5G business

  Research reveals that industries and enterprises are ready to reap the benefits of 5G, but warns that service providers need to learn how to satisfy this demand

• May 05, 2020 05 May'20

  T-Mobile US claims ‘significant’ 5G standalone architecture firsts

  US operator partners with comms technology leaders to achieve world’s first milestones for standalone architecture 5G

• May 05, 2020 05 May'20

  UK contact-tracing app developers hit back at effectiveness and privacy doubts

  Pre-eminent scientists continue to defend NHS contact-tracing app from criticism of its effectiveness and the use of centralised data gathering

• May 05, 2020 05 May'20

  Building security and privacy into contact-tracing apps

  Governance and data decentralisation are among measures that organisations can take to allay security and privacy concerns over contact-tracing apps, according to RSA

• May 04, 2020 04 May'20

  SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom form joint venture to combat coronavirus

  Telecoms giants extend working relationship to expand global 5G ecosystem by accelerating 5G deployment in Europe and exchange their respective technological expertise once the situation with Covid-19 improves

• May 04, 2020 04 May'20

  No silver bullets and ‘bumps in the road’ likely but UK contact-tracing app development gathers pace

  UK scientific experts address doubts on contact-tracing app’s effectiveness, particular regarding data privacy, but admit that its nature may have to evolve as the roll-out scales up

• May 04, 2020 04 May'20

  NatWest Bank shutters its app based bank after five months

  NatWest is closing its consumer-facing, app-based bank and increasing its focus on mobile business bank Mettle

• May 04, 2020 04 May'20

  Research institutes warn of necessity for UK contact-tracing app to link to testing

  BCS and Cass Business School call for proposed UK contact-tracing app not to be launched without alignment to testing and warns that without this link, NHS will not be able to “big data” its way out of “no data” situation

• May 01, 2020 01 May'20

  5G on the ropes as Covid-19 set to land $51bn blow on global mobile services industry

  Research predicts mobile revenue will drop 4.1% worldwide because of pandemic, with European operators taking a particular heavy hit

• May 01, 2020 01 May'20

  Global contact-tracing apps take divergent routes to beat Covid-19

  Telecoms will play a key role in controlling the coronavirus through contact-tracing apps that can mitigate its spread. But that will only be the case if population masses actually use the apps – and that’s not guaranteed for a variety of reasons

• April 29, 2020 29 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Cash use plummets during UK lockdown

  Consumers are switching to digital payment methods amid the current global pandemic crisis

• April 29, 2020 29 Apr'20

  Nokia closes capacity and customer experience tech deal with Bharti Airtel

  Third-largest telco in the world’s second-largest telecoms market takes up Nokia Single Radio Access Network to enhance capacity and improve 5G readiness

• April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20

  NHSX on track for May launch of Covid-19 contact-tracing app but challenges remain

  Leading UK scientific experts assure MPs that much-anticipated application will be ready for launch in May but concede that challenges exist on achieving meaningful uptake

• April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20

  Black Rose Lucy ransomware now posing as FBI porn warning

  A new strain of Russian-developed ransomware impersonates US federal law enforcement to force payment, says Check Point

• April 28, 2020 28 Apr'20

  Adtran initiates software-defined access network project, advances the smart home experience

  Partnerships with Orange and Plume will evaluate and test SDN-based programming for next-gen fibre access networks, and boost customer experience management of Wi-Fi-enabled services

• April 27, 2020 27 Apr'20

  Australia’s CovidSafe app debuts, source codes to follow

  Australia’s contact tracing app has been downloaded more than 1.1 million times, even as privacy concerns linger on

• April 24, 2020 24 Apr'20

  Wireless stakeholders cheer ‘historic’ FCC Wi-Fi 6GHz spectrum allocation decision

  US broadcast and telecoms regulator confirms proposal lauded as a milestone moment that will no less than supercharge connectivity

• April 24, 2020 24 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Dutch Covid-19 tracking app stirs national debate

  Privacy concerns raised over mobile app to help track and control the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands

• April 24, 2020 24 Apr'20

  NHSX reveals full details of UK Covid-19 contact-tracing strategy

  National Health Service’s digital innovation unit aims to allay fears over privacy and confidentiality in forthcoming contract-tracing app

• April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: RAF flies in for UK contact tracing app test

  NHS announces test at air base of app designed to alert users of the close proximity of those carrying or having symptoms of Covid-19

• April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20

  5,400% growth forecast for enterprises using WhatsApp Business APIs

  Unprecedented and extraordinary growth forecast for business version of WhatsApp, with growth from just 992 to 55,000 users expected over the next five years

• April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20

  iOS zero-day leaves iPhone users dangerously exposed

  Researchers identify dangerous vulnerabilities in Apple’s iOS operating system that allow remote code execution on target devices

• April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20

  ABB Power plugs into Ericsson 5G tech to increase factory productivity

  Ericsson gears up for the post-coronavirus world with confidence in 5G and reveals project for its 5G-ready Industry Connect with global leader in power technology

• April 23, 2020 23 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Surge in Wi-Fi upload traffic shows need for advanced Wi-Fi adoption

  Prolonged home working will see home networks, based on older Wi-Fi technologies rather than the likes of Wi-Fi 6, put under intolerable strain, warns analyst

• April 22, 2020 22 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Banking and mobile sectors collaborate to stop text scams

  Initiative aims to protect 50 genuine brands and government organisations from being impersonated by cyber criminals

• April 22, 2020 22 Apr'20

  Traditional banks need to do more than gloss over back-end systems with fintech paint

  Banks need to work with fintechs if they are to prosper in the new world, but first they must update their back-end systems

• April 21, 2020 21 Apr'20

  Collaboration and communications get richer as Covid-19 ushers in new working reality

  Covid-19 lockdowns bring about collective rethink in the way we work, with remote video becoming normalised and a potential change in the way effectiveness is measured

• April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20

  NCSC launches coronavirus cyber security campaign

  The National Cyber Security Centre has launched a reporting service for scam emails as part of a campaign to help people protect themselves from cyber criminals exploiting the pandemic

• April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20

  Ada Lovelace Institute questions effectiveness of UK contact-tracing strategy

  Independent study institute for user-focused data and AI solutions argues that NHS Covid-19 tracking plans will not be effective unless action is taken to address technical limitations

• April 20, 2020 20 Apr'20

  Australian workers are weakest link in fight against cyber attacks

  About four in 10 employees are sharing inappropriate data across mobile devices and half of all security incidents in 2019 occurred through inappropriate IT use, new study finds

• April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20

  Ofcom publishes technical data debunking 5G links to Covid-19

  Ofcom makes latest response to the unfounded and dangerous fake news suggesting links between 5G networks and coronavirus

• April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20

  Fifth of UK small businesses concerned about prolonged remote working

  Small firms find the potential prospect of indefinite working from home a major challenge to future business

• April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Big hit to European 5G as smartphone industry set for sharpest falls in 20 years

  Screeching halt to telecoms money truck predicted for 2020 as Covid-19 outbreak impacts phone production and 5G roll-out

• April 17, 2020 17 Apr'20

  EU warns no compromise on privacy as NHS clashes with tech firms on contact tracing

  EU and UK regulators express data privacy concerns days after Silicon Valley giants announce collaboration on contact-tracing apps to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus

• April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Telcos in developed markets to lose more than $40bn

  Big increases in unemployment will see a 3.4% decline in telecoms revenue this year, with the negative impact to persist for the next 12 months, says analyst

• April 16, 2020 16 Apr'20

  Orange expands mesh Wi-Fi into Belgium, reinforces marine service capabilities

  SoftAtHome’s mesh Wi-Fi now available for Orange Belgium customers while Orange ship begins undersea cabling survey work off coast of Sicily

• April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Lloyds Bank to give thousands of tablet devices to over-70s

  Banking group is giving away tablets and basic digital training to help vulnerable customers stay connected during the UK’s Covid-19 lockdown

• April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20

  Samsung claims 4.3Gbps 5G speed breakthrough

  Korean tech giant’s latest lab demonstration uses MU-MIMO technology to showcase 5G’s potentially vast capacity, new radio, NR, 28GHz access unit

• April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Apple and Google unite for contact tracing technology

  Silicon Valley giants announce collaboration to prevent the spread of Coronavirus

• April 15, 2020 15 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: More than two-fifths of employees likely to continue remote working after pandemic

  Research firm Gartner offers guide to managing remote workers during Covid-19 pandemic as new normal for work emerges

• April 14, 2020 14 Apr'20

  Apple and Netflix most imitated brands in phishing attacks

  A new report highlights the brands which are being most frequently spoofed by cyber criminals in phishing attacks

• April 10, 2020 10 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Warning over surge in Zoom security incidents

  Check Point researchers have observed a surge in suspicious Zoom domains as cyber criminals target popular remote working and collaboration tools

• April 09, 2020 09 Apr'20

  How Bolt plans to be more uber than Uber

  Overcoming competitors with brand names that have become part of the modern vernacular is a challenge Estonia-based Bolt has set itself as it takes on Uber

• April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20

  Vodafone taps VMware to complete European roll-out of network virtual infrastructure

  Operator taps virtual infrastructure firm to add last piece of pan-European digital infrastructure architecture and gain agility and flexibility

• April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20

  Mobile operator community and academics use smartphone power to fight Covid-19

  Vodafone Foundation and scientists at Imperial College London are using a smartphone app to aid coronavirus research

• April 08, 2020 08 Apr'20

  Samsung, AWS claim world’s first mission-critical comms video call

  MCPTX solution powered by leading cloud platform said to enable first responders to accurately assess vital moments using voice, data and video calls

• April 07, 2020 07 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Home business opportunity knocks for consumer IoT suppliers

  Internet-of-things manufacturers see a huge new market opening up from the millions of new enterprise customers working from home

• April 07, 2020 07 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Soaring collaboration app uptake sees home workers clock on for longer hours

  Number of people online during working day more than doubles since end of January and growth in demand for business apps reaches record levels, fuelled by conferencing applications

• April 06, 2020 06 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Nordic tech startups face job cuts amid falling sales and a lack of funding

  Tech startups based in the Nordic region face difficult decisions as the Covid-19 pandemic leads to falling sales and investment

• April 06, 2020 06 Apr'20

  Malaysia’s telemedicine vision gets fresh boost

  Tech startup DoctorOnCall has built a virtual health advisory platform for people to consult doctors amid the coronavirus outbreak, catalysing Malaysia’s telemedicine blueprint, which was conceived over two decades ago

• April 05, 2020 05 Apr'20

  Google data shows high interest in security and remote working

  An analysis of the most Googled technology terms during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the scale of the cyber security challenge presented by the crisis

• April 03, 2020 03 Apr'20

  Transatel takes global connected vehicle platform on the road

  NTT subsidiary offers eSIM-capable, cellular technology for global IoT connectivity with Internet of Vehicles system designed to solve vehicle manufacturers’ greatest challenges

• April 02, 2020 02 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Is Zoom safe and should security teams ban it?

  Zoom’s rapid rise to prominence has highlighted a score of security problems with the service. Should CISOs try to steer their organisations away from it, or ban it outright?

• April 02, 2020 02 Apr'20

  Jack Schofield, tech journalist and Computer Weekly contributor, dies

  In his Computer Weekly articles, Schofield discussed the early success of the web, why the BlackBerry should be waterproof, and how Microsoft overtook IBM

• April 01, 2020 01 Apr'20

  Coronavirus: Use of fintech apps in Europe accelerates

  Fintech apps are being increasingly used by consumers as restrictions on their movements are put in place

• March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20

  Huawei extols 2019 as ‘extraordinary’ year

  Despite political challenges across the world restricting use of its technology, Chinese comms tech giant posts strong yearly increase in sales and profit

• March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20

  Too late to protect online privacy, say Brits

  Most UK consumers are concerned about data privacy, but think it’s too late to do much about it, according to a report

• March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20

  Houseparty denies hack as credential stuffing attacks spread

  Social media service denies its service has been hacked, and is offering a million-dollar bounty to anybody who can prove otherwise

• March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20

  O2 to launch UK’s first 5G accelerators in three West Midlands cities

  Consortium led by Telefónica UK Deloitte, Wayra and Digital Catapult to build 5G accelerators in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry

• March 31, 2020 31 Mar'20

  Hackathon launched to help fight coronavirus pandemic

  Virtual hackathon seeks to develop a suite of applications to help people during the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak through ethically built technology

• March 30, 2020 30 Mar'20

  Coronavirus: Viability of half of London’s tech startups threatened

  Technology startups in London are fighting for their existence, with business plans for the next three months geared towards survival

• March 29, 2020 29 Mar'20

  Australian government unveils Covid-19 app

  Federal government launches Coronavirus Australia app to keep Australians updated on the latest developments in its fight against the coronavirus outbreak

• March 27, 2020 27 Mar'20

  Coronavirus: Smartphone production to plummet 20%, over $25bn lost in roaming revenue

  Two studies reveal the huge hit on the mobile device and service industry that is likely to be caused by the Covid-19 outbreak

• March 26, 2020 26 Mar'20

  Nordic fintechs urge financial literacy to be taken seriously before it’s too late

  Fintechs in the Nordic region hope to prevent more adults getting into financial difficulty through apps that educate people about managing their finances at an early age

• March 26, 2020 26 Mar'20

  Coronavirus: Be alert to rogue mobile apps exploiting outbreak

  Well-meaning developers are beginning to offer medical apps to monitor coronavirus symptoms and provide information on the pandemic. Opportunists and cyber criminals are not far behind them

• March 24, 2020 24 Mar'20

  Norwegian banking app gives access to other banks’ accounts

  Banking customers can access and make payments from their other bank accounts using the DNB Mobile Bank app

• March 24, 2020 24 Mar'20

  Coronavirus: Contactless spending limit increased to fight pandemic

  Banking and financial services trade body UK Finance to increase spending limit for contactless payments to £45 from the start of April

• March 24, 2020 24 Mar'20

  Russia presses ahead with developing 5G, but allocation of frequencies needs to be resolved first

  Russian mobile operators are pooling their resources to help them overcome the technical challenges of creating 5G networks

• March 24, 2020 24 Mar'20

  Tekya auto-clicker malware exploits kids’ Android apps

  Google has removed multiple apps for children that were found to contain Tekya auto-clicker malware

• March 24, 2020 24 Mar'20

  Nokia, LG Uplus build fully automated 5G IP transport network in Korea

  Finnish comms firm wins another Asian contract with Korean operator to improve speed of 5G service deployment

• March 24, 2020 24 Mar'20

  Coronavirus: Global VPN deployments rocket since 11 March

  Business virtual private network uptake has taken off over the past 10 days as global workforces become vastly more distributed

• March 23, 2020 23 Mar'20

  Singapore government to open source contact-tracing protocol

  Singapore’s Government Technology Agency is contributing the source codes of the BlueTrace protocol that powers its contact-tracing app

• March 23, 2020 23 Mar'20

  Thousands of Netflix, Disney+ streaming accounts being stolen

  Proofpoint has urged users of streaming services to be alert to cyber criminals hijacking their accounts

• March 23, 2020 23 Mar'20

  Chunghwa Telecom selects Nokia, Ericsson for rapid 5G build-out

  Taiwanese operator taps Nordic comms giants for essential equipment in improving efficiency and user experience

• March 23, 2020 23 Mar'20

  Coronavirus: UK mobile operators discuss sharing crowd movement data with government

  Reports emerge of unprecedented cooperation between UK telcos and government to provide people-modelling data to prevent spread of coronavirus

• March 23, 2020 23 Mar'20

  Seek ditches pagers for cloud service in IT operations

  Australian employment marketplace Seek is doing away with pagers in favour of PagerDuty’s cloud-based digital operations platform to scale up its IT operations in Asia and Australia

• March 20, 2020 20 Mar'20

  Coronavirus: Sans Institute issues cyber security advice for parents

  With schools now shut across the UK, parents will bear more responsibility for keeping children safe online and educating them about online harms

• March 20, 2020 20 Mar'20

  How an Estonian digital nation emerged from the embers of Soviet rule

  Estonia’s minister for foreign trade and IT tells Computer Weekly how the country went from having no governmental infrastructure in the early 1990s to acquiring the label “digital nation”

• March 18, 2020 18 Mar'20

  Ocado pulls website amid coronavirus shopping frenzy

  Ocado has closed its website and will not take any new orders for several days thanks to sheer volume of traffic

• March 18, 2020 18 Mar'20

  4G arrives for eastern half of Jubilee Line

  Full 4G mobile connectivity arrives on half of one of London’s busiest Underground transport links, paving the way for extended communications throughout the network

• March 17, 2020 17 Mar'20

  Nutanix expands virtual desktop service in APAC

  Nutanix has expanded its Xi Frame virtual desktop service to five more cloud regions in Asia-Pacific amid the Covid-19 outbreak

• March 12, 2020 12 Mar'20

  ICNIRP finds no health risk with 5G technologies

  Study by independent organisation that provides scientific advice and guidance on the health and environmental effects of non‐ionising radiation finds 5G technologies not harmful if new guidelines are adhered to

• March 12, 2020 12 Mar'20

  EE further expands UK 5G network

  BT-owned mobile operator rolls out 5G to 21 new locations in the country

• March 12, 2020 12 Mar'20

  Cookie-stealing trojans found lurking on Android phones

  Kaspersky discovers two new Android malware modifications that could give hackers control of their victims’ social media accounts

• March 12, 2020 12 Mar'20

  Dutch landscape attracts fintech exploration

  In 2019, the Netherlands had more than 450 companies active in financial technology. The country’s “polder model”, in which new and traditional companies work closely together, offers many opportunities for fintechs

• February 25, 2020 25 Feb'20

  Google warns users not to mess with Huawei devices

  Google tells users of Huawei devices to try to avoid bypassing controls preventing them from loading its apps

• February 25, 2020 25 Feb'20

  Huawei unveils MWC product portfolio led by €2,500 5G smartphone

  Chinese tech giant unveils 5G smartphones, tablets, chipsets, AI, Wi-Fi 6, routers, chipsets and cameras that it was set to announce at the cancelled Mobile World Congress

• February 21, 2020 21 Feb'20

  Malicious apps still getting past Google controls

  Check Point researchers have found multiple malware-infected apps in the Google Play store, including a clicker called Haken, which has been downloaded more than 50,000 times

• February 21, 2020 21 Feb'20

  Exploring the Nordics’ healthy advantage in leisure tech

  The Nordic region is home to an increasing number of global leisure tech startups

• February 20, 2020 20 Feb'20

  Critical for operators to redefine 5G business models, says Huawei

  Undeterred by the cancellation of what would have been a totemic global showcase for its 5G products, Huawei reveals its 5G strategy for 2020 at London forum

• February 20, 2020 20 Feb'20

  O2 delivers solid fiscal 2019 and points to 5G as future of entertainment

  Telefónica’s UK business arm clocks up continued growth in revenues and profits driven by expanding customer numbers and predicts 5G could boost the entertainment sector by as much as £2.3bn over the next 10 years

• February 20, 2020 20 Feb'20

  UK government introduces £200m scheme to boost industrial and rural 5G

  Scheme will help key areas seize the potential of modern technology, in particular 5G networks, and fulfil government’s commitment to ‘level-up’ infrastructure across the UK

• February 12, 2020 12 Feb'20

  Brexit cited as reason for German digital bank’s UK exit

  German challenger bank N26 leaves the UK, saying Brexit is the reason behind the decision due to the removal of passporting rights

• February 12, 2020 12 Feb'20

  Nokia and SoftBank claim 5G first for connected cars

  Finnish comms giant and Japanese operator reveal trials that they say successfully demonstrate that 5G technology can be safely and efficiently utilised for connected cars

• February 11, 2020 11 Feb'20

  Mobile checkout expanded to 50 M&S stores

  After a successful trial, retailer Marks & Spencer has expanded its mobile checkout-free offering to 50 stores around the UK

• February 11, 2020 11 Feb'20

  O2 expands enterprise IoT offering with UK LTE-M roll-out

  UK telco enhances internet of things offering with Long-Term Evolution, category M1 network, said to be the first of its kind in the country