Browsing: Ofcom

In the UK, debate over breaking up BT

By

There have frequently been calls for BT, the former telecoms monopoly, to be broken up. Now, with the company having emerged as the buyer of mobile phone network EE, complaints about BT’s power – which have never gone away – have grown louder. But other than

UK faces its own fixed-line challenges

By

UK’s telephone companies have yet again announced inflation-busting increases in telephone line rental charges. Why, in a world that is increasingly mobile-first – or even mobile-only – are we still paying so much for landlines? The latest figures from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom show that around 16% of

Digital radio to hit SA’s airwaves

By

South Africa is taking concrete steps towards introducing digital radio broadcasts using a standard known as DAB+, with a trial planned for 2014. The move will usher in greater competition in the radio sector, with digital eventually likely to replace the familiar FM and AM dials. Radio broadcasters

SA must choose its own broadband path

By

Lord Stephen Carter has enjoyed a storied career. He was the founding CEO of Ofcom, the powerful British media, telecoms and broadcasting regulator. He also served as the Downing Street chief of staff under former prime minister Gordon Brown and is now president and MD for Europe, the Middle East & Africa at

How ‘white spaces’ could spark a tech revolution

By

A Sandton hotel played host to a conference last week on “white-spaces spectrum”. For nontechnical people, it was a fairly arcane discussion. But what was being talked about could usher in the biggest revolution in telecoms since the mobile phone

UK’s Ofcom takes hard-line approach

By

SA’s mobile operators should be glad they don’t have the UK’s telecommunications regulator Ofcom breathing down their necks. Ofcom has slashed wholesale mobile termination rates by 80% over four years