News

Smartphone technology

June 23, 2020 23 Jun'20
Viavi introduces 3D geolocation for 5G networks

Looking to ‘command’ 5G infrastructures, network monitoring and assurance technology firm unveils what it claims is first patented 3D 5G geolocation system
June 23, 2020 23 Jun'20
UK counts the cost as Ireland presses ahead with contact-tracing app

Irish eyes smiling as Republic’s heath executive said to be on verge of giving greenlight to Covid-19 tracker app, while UK reveals £11.8m cost of development to date for no return as yet
June 23, 2020 23 Jun'20
Nokia claims US live C-band network demo first

Ahead of the expected US spectrum auction in December 2020, Nokia completes first successful US-based 5G trial in C-band
June 18, 2020 18 Jun'20
iPhone issues see UK government dump centralised model for Covid-19 contact-tracing app

Department for Health makes U-turn on contact-tracing app after trial finds distances are not measured well enough, with particular detection problems for app users with Apple iPhones

June 18, 2020 18 Jun'20
Data protection watchdog calls for controls on police mobile phone stop-and-searches

Information commissioner wants new safeguards on the use of police powers to download sensitive personal data from the mobile phones of suspects and crime victims
June 18, 2020 18 Jun'20
Nordic business is leading open banking charge in Europe

Nordic region has the right ingredients to prove open banking can benefit consumers, businesses and the economy
June 18, 2020 18 Jun'20
Environmental concerns set to put brake on future business trips

Research finds nearly half of UK workers are concerned about the negative environmental impact of business travel, with almost two-fifths actively wanting to reduce the number of times they travel for work
June 17, 2020 17 Jun'20
Data privacy fears emerge as German contact-tracing app downloaded 6.5 million times in first day

After prolonged development path, Germany’s Corona-Warn-App launches to almost immediate success and almost immediate controversy regarding anonymity
June 16, 2020 16 Jun'20
Ericsson upgrades 5G forecast as research finds mobile networks take added strain from Covid-19

While social distancing and keeping millions at home have put significant demands on infrastructure, with systems that support healthcare, education and businesses of all types under stress, telecoms networks have stood up to the task, says research...
June 16, 2020 16 Jun'20
Covid-19 contact-tracing apps: the key data protection issues

Organisations intending to deploy contact-tracing apps will need to maintain high standards of privacy compliance, security and ethics to guarantee sufficient uptake and meaningful results

June 12, 2020 12 Jun'20
Brits get used to life without cash

British people are getting used to life without cash, as the Covid-19 lockdown forces the adoption of digital payments
June 12, 2020 12 Jun'20
Fake contact-tracing apps delivering banking trojans

Spoof government coronavirus apps are popping up all over the world, says the Anomali Threat Research team
June 12, 2020 12 Jun'20
Minister downgrades status of UK contact-tracing app from vital to ‘cherry on cake’

Scientists warn of fundamental flaws of Bluetooth technology in proximity measurement function of much-delayed app
June 12, 2020 12 Jun'20
100,000 cheap wireless cameras vulnerable to hacking

Active devices built by Chinese firm HiChip have been sold in the UK as webcams and connected baby monitors
June 12, 2020 12 Jun'20
5G at ‘tipping point’ as Nokia reveals biggest drivers for enterprise 5G

While analyst believes ‘enormous’ investment required and lack of killer apps put 5G growth in doubt, comms tech giant Nokia paints picture of IT decision-makers making tracks with next-gen infrastructure
June 11, 2020 11 Jun'20
O2 extends 5G network, hits 10,000 mark for LTE-M in UK

Operator says network technologies will revolutionise the way people and businesses use mobile connectivity, unlocking huge possibilities for the UK’s economy and society
June 11, 2020 11 Jun'20
Evidence emerges of slow increase in global mobile cellular network times

Smartphone users may have seen the worst of the negative impact from the coronavirus pandemic on their cellular experience, with time connected to Wi-Fi networks decreasing, Opensignal research finds
June 10, 2020 10 Jun'20
Licensed low-power cellular market gains high traction

With the current extensive deployment of 4G networks and continued expansion of 5G, licensed low-power IoT applications and use cases are set to take off
June 10, 2020 10 Jun'20
Virtual GP practice accidentally exposes patient video calls

A small number of users of Babylon’s GP at Hand service were briefly able to view other patients’ video GP consultations thanks to a bug in a new software feature
June 08, 2020 08 Jun'20
Progress needed for UK fibre roll-out to catch up to peers

Even with the best efforts of the government in meeting its target and various initiatives to support deployment, meeting UK full-fibre gigabit goals depends on ultimate switch-off of the copper network
June 08, 2020 08 Jun'20
South Korea takes global 5G leadership

Initial Omdia market assessment shows home of Samsung as the world’s powerhouse for establishing and commercialising 5G networks
June 05, 2020 05 Jun'20
Police chiefs working with Public Health England on contact-tracing security

Police force representatives are in talks with Public Health England over operational security concerns arising from the NHS Test and Trace coronavirus contact-tracing scheme
June 04, 2020 04 Jun'20
Small businesses failing on remote worker protection

Only one-third of people working for small businesses have received any guidance from their employers on how to secure their remote working set-up
June 04, 2020 04 Jun'20
Data privacy groups pile in on UK contact-tracing app

UK-based digital privacy and free speech campaigning organisation files complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office about contact-tracing app
June 04, 2020 04 Jun'20
Outlook for 5G remains positive despite Covid-19

While the current health crisis and economic uncertainty will have a short-term impact on adoption of the next-gen network, analyst insists future for 5G remains bright with more than a billion global 5G connections by 2022
June 04, 2020 04 Jun'20
Malaysian minister backtracks on spectrum allocation decision

Amid reports of a surreptitious decision to allocate spectrum to five Malaysian operators, the communications minister rescinds his own order, calling for a more transparent review of the allocation process
June 03, 2020 03 Jun'20
Telefónica Deutschland, Bell Canada select Ericsson as 5G network partner

Ericsson scores wins for next-generation infrastructure technology on both sides of Atlantic for both core and radio segments
June 02, 2020 02 Jun'20
Covid-19: Global smartphone sales take a tumble in Q1 2020

Leading analyst Gartner attributes 20% year-on-year decline in device sales to effect of coronavirus pandemic, with leading brands showing sharp falls
June 01, 2020 01 Jun'20
Privacy campaigners call for radical changes to contact-tracing app

Liberty, Privacy International and the Open Rights Group join calls for the government to either put in place better data protection policies or abandon its Covid-19 contact-tracing app altogether
May 29, 2020 29 May'20
Qualcomm aims to tap into Wi-Fi 6E with ‘world’s most advanced’ mobile wireless portfolio

Hot on the heels of FCC action described as milestone and watershed moment for innovation that will supercharge connectivity, wireless processor giant aims to cash in on new wireless standard
May 29, 2020 29 May'20
Test and Trace has not passed data protection impact assessment

Public Health England failed to complete the required impact assessment before launching the Covid-19 Test and Trace programme
May 28, 2020 28 May'20
Covid-19 calculated to cause 18% drop in net new IoT devices in 2020

Fleet management, heavy transport vehicles, equipment, fixed assets and digital signage are among the internet of things applications hit hardest by the pandemic
May 28, 2020 28 May'20
Public Health England to keep contact-tracing data for 20 years

PHE will retain the data it collects via the NHS Test and Trace programme for 20 years
May 28, 2020 28 May'20
UK government unveils NHS Test and Trace service to combat Covid-19

UK government unveils framework to stop the spread of coronavirus, but contact-tracing launch date not revealed
May 27, 2020 27 May'20
Fears contact-tracing app will open the floodgates for cyber criminals

Study of UK consumers reveals worries over an uptick in cyber crime and a lack of trust in government
May 27, 2020 27 May'20
EE network sees fivefold leap in Zoom users, 45% increase in voice calls, apps since lockdown

Research from mobile operator highlights changing habits of UK citizens during lockdown, with video conferencing seeing massive leap
May 26, 2020 26 May'20
StrandHogg mobile vulnerability has evil twin

Variant of the dangerous StrandHogg vulnerability affecting Android phones could allow hackers to access almost all apps on a target device
May 26, 2020 26 May'20
Huawei hits out at fresh UK network probe

UK cyber security agency confirms it will conduct a new investigation into the security-worthiness of Huawei’s 5G technology
May 26, 2020 26 May'20
Ericsson enables commercial 5G network for Telia in Stockholm

Swedish operator lays the foundations for the next phase of digital transformation with 5G network designed to open up new user experiences and accelerated innovation in areas such as entertainment, healthcare, manufacturing and transport
May 26, 2020 26 May'20
Android security vulnerabilities differ by country, say researchers

Manufacturers of Android devices including Huawei, Samsung and Xiaomi shipped devices with different levels of security in different regions, leaving their users exposed to attack
May 22, 2020 22 May'20
Hancock to Harman: No contact-tracing privacy law

Health secretary claims existing data protection law is good enough to guarantee the security of contact-tracing data
May 20, 2020 20 May'20
Coronavirus: Pandemic spurs QR code app upgrade at PayPal

PayPal introduces QR code payment functionality to its mobile app to support social distancing
May 20, 2020 20 May'20
NCSC discloses multiple vulnerabilities in contact-tracing app

National Cyber Security Centre has received mountains of feedback on the security of the government’s Covid-19 contact-tracing app, and has now taken the step of making multiple disclosures
May 19, 2020 19 May'20
GDPR wholly inappropriate to govern contact-tracing data

Human Rights Committee Chair Harriet Harman says current data protection law is not up to the job of governing the data collected by the Covid-19 contact-tracing app
May 19, 2020 19 May'20
Doubts mount over effectiveness of UK contact-tracing app

Studies from BCS and Anomali reveal that a significant proportion of the UK population is not prepared to download the Covid-19 contact-tracing app
May 19, 2020 19 May'20
Huawei: US using technological strengths to ‘crush’ companies outside its own borders

Chinese tech giant hits back at White House decision to extend technology ban and says it will ultimately be self-harming
May 18, 2020 18 May'20
Worldwide comms services industry projected to take limited hit from Covid-19

Coronavirus pandemic has changed some trends in the global telecom services market, but operators have adapted quickly and temporarily pushed aside some earlier priorities, says IDC
May 15, 2020 15 May'20
Coronavirus: Digital bank’s valuation falls as it seeks funds to ride Covid-19 storm

Monzo is seeking new investment to help it through the coronavirus pandemic
May 14, 2020 14 May'20
Harman seeks to bring private member’s bill over contact tracing

Chair of Human Rights Committee aims to put the proposed Contact Tracing (Data Protection) Bill 2020 before parliament as a private member’s bill if necessary
May 14, 2020 14 May'20
UK’s contact-tracing app targeted by scammers

Even though it is only operational on the Isle of Wight as a beta test, the UK government’s coronavirus contact-tracing app has already attracted the attention of cyber criminals