ROK TV is offering live and on-demand mobile TV streamed over existing 2.5G and 3G networks as a subscription service on Nokia Eseries phones. Mobile technology and applications development company ROK Entertainment Group has been appointed by Nokia to provide the service. ROK TV is available via the Downloads! service on the Nokia E61i and Nokia E65, initially, which the owner needs to activate to begin watching the services. Two channel packages will be offered, a five-channel Strictly Business package, to be charged in the UK at GBP 5 a month, with a heavy emphasis on business news and information channels, and a ten-channel ROK All TV package, to be charged at GBP 10 a month containing live business news channels as well as additional sports news, music videos and comedy channels. As a trial, both TV packages will be free to view for the first two weeks. ROK TV is available in the UK now and will subsequently deploy into mainland Europe from August onwards.
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BT has agreed to acquire consumer ISP Brightview Group for approximately GBP 15.8 million in cash, subject to approval from Brightview’s shareholders. Brightview operates the ISP brands Madasafish and Global Internet, as well as the Which? Waitrose ISP. Brightview is also working with the John Lewis Partnership to launch its new ISP and telephony service under the GreenBee brand. Brightview said it plans to use GBP 3.7 million of the proceeds to repay outstanding loans and GBP 1.6 million to settle other expenses. With the remaining cash, the management is considering a return of cash to shareholders and an acquisition in the UK marketing and support services, media or telecoms sectors. The ISP business made up the bulk of Brightview’s trading business.
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Equinix subsidiary Equinix UK will buy IXEurope for GBP 1.25 per share, valuing the company at approximately GBP 240.9 million. The acquisition offer represents a premium of about 82.1 percent over the average closing price of the past 6 months. The acquisition is subject to approval by IXEuropea shareholders and is expected to close mid-September this year. IXEurope directors have said they will unanimously recommend the take-over offer. With the take-over, data centre services provider Equinix expects to solidify its position on the co-location and data centre markets.
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UK-based telecommunications operator Cable & Wireless (C&W) reports GPB 118 million more revenues for its financial year ending 31 March 2007 to reach GBP 3.35 billion. The increase principally reflects the full year impact of the revenue from customers acquired as part of the Energis transaction on 11 November 2005. This has more than offset the impact of the anticipated churn and erosion Europe, Asia & US encountered in subsequently restructuring the business to focus on larger, more profitable customers. The EBITDA for 2006/7 increased by 20 percent (26% at constant currency) to GBP 492 million, compared with 2005/6 and the net profit decreased from GBP 170 million in 2005/6 to GBP 152 million in 2006/7. C&W proposes a full year dividend of GBP 5.85 per share, which represents an increase of 30 percent over the 2005/06 full year dividend. C&W’s International business saw its mobile customer base increase by 44 percent to more than five million on 31 March with the C&W subsidiaries being responsible for 2.6 million mobile customers, 49 percent more than on 31 March 2006. The number of broadband customers increased by 39 percent to over 400,000 customers in 2006/07 and the subsidiaries saw their broadbandbase grow 37 percent to 378,000 customers. This was primarily driven by strong growth across the Caribbean. The number of fixed line customers remained steady over the 12 month period to 31 March 2007 at approximately 1.9 million customers. C&W Europe, Asia, and US saw that its programme to reduce the number of customers is progressing well and reports less than 10,000 customers. The operator expects to reduce the overall number of customers to about 3,000, comprisinglarge corporates, carriers, resellers and public institutions.
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Fixed line and broadband operator Thus has reported preliminary results for the full year ending March 2007, with revenue from continuing operations up 52% year-on-year to GBP532.7 million. EBITDA climbed 14% to GBP42.9 million while operating loss was down from GBP11.6 million to GBP9.5 million. Founded as Scottish Telecom in 1994 as a wholly owned subsidiary of utility company Scottish Power, the company was rebranded Thus in October 1999, and a month later was floated on the London Stock Exchange.
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UK operator THUS has reported preliminary results for its FY ending 31 March, with revenue from continuing operations up 52 percent to GBP 532.7 million, from GBP 350 million. EBITDA was up 14 percent to GBP 42.9 million, from GBP 37.6 million, with THUS reducing its operating loss to GBP 9.5 million, down from a loss of GBP 11.6 million. It won new contracts worth over GBP 200 million over the year. Post-tax profit was GBP 83.9 million for the year, including post-tax gain on sale of Demon Netherlands and recognition of deferred tax asset.
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BT has signed a GBP 750 million 4-year deal with the UK’s Post Office to provide wholesale communications services for resale to Post Office customers. This is the largest ever single contract signed by BT Wholesale and covers the supply of broadband and converged services from its white label managed services portfolio. The Post Office plans to launch new enhanced communications services later in 2007, aiming to migrate its existing 400,000 telephony customers to the new service. The new service will combine high-speed broadband and telephony, plus customer equipment and applicatins such as web-based e-mail and anti-virus protection.
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BT Group has reported consolidated revenue of GBP 20.22 billion for its FY ending 31 March, up 4 percent from a year earlier, with profit before tax up 22 percent to GBP 2.48 billion. For the fourth quarter, BT generated revenue of GBP 5.29 billion, up 3 percent year-on-year, with profit before tax up 19 percent to GBP 601 million. BT has proposed a full-year dividend of GBP 0.151 per share, up 27 percent from FY 2006, with GBP 2.5 billion allocated to a new share buyback programme. This is expected to be completed by 31 March 2009. BT registered 10.7 million wholesale broadband connections (DSL and LLU) at end-March, including 1.9 million LLU lines, up by 2.6 million year-on-year with 763,000 connections in the fourth quarter. The 12 month rolling average revenue per consumer household increased by GBP4 for the second consecutive quarter to GBP 262.
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UK pay-TV operator BSkyB gained a net 51,000 new customers in the three months to March, taking its total base to 8.492 million. The company’s new pricing strategy of bundling broadband and telephony with its DTH TV service led to 553,000 broadband customers as of 29 April, up from 259,000 at the end of January. The telephony user base rose over the same period to 408,000 from 132,000. Churn was also up, by 1.8 points from the previous quarter to 13.7 percent, while ARPU rose GBP 12 to GBP 408, helped by strong growth for new products like the telecoms services and Sky HD and Sky+. BSkyB posted revenues for the nine months to March of GBP 3.376 billion, up from GBP 3.079 billion a year earlier, while net profit fell to GBP 388 million from GBP 425 million, hurt by some GBP 120 million in losses from the launch of the residential broadband services.
Nokia partners with ROK for Eseries TV service (Europe)
