Everything Everywhere launches first live 4G customer trial (UK)
Everything Everywhere, the UK’s biggest communications company that runs the Orange and T-Mobile brands, launched the UK’s first live 4G trial in the North of England on airwaves that, subject to licensing changes, could be used to bring 4G mobile services to the UK later this year.
The trial was switched on by the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, and local MP, Rory Stewart, who said that 4G has the potential to provide an important stimulus for the UK. It centres on the area of Threlkeld in Cumbria, home to Blencathra, one of the Lake District’s most visited peaks.
Rolling out over the next few weeks, the trial for up to 50 local residents will run until the end of July and is being conducted to test the network performance ahead of potential further roll out by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approval.
The trial service will run over existing 1800 MHz spectrum used by the Orange and T-Mobile mobile networks and will provide learnings on the performance of 4G LTE in rural areas.
Commenting on the trial, the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove said that he is really delighted to be switching on the first ever deployment of this cutting-edge technology in the North of England. Cumbria has – thanks to the work of local MP Rory Stewart – been at the vanguard of this work. Cumbria has unique needs due to its sparse population and long distances, which 4G LTE will help overcome. Cumbria’s schools and educational opportunities will be revolutionised by this technology. Cumbria’s record number of small businesses will be transformed by this next generation technology. 4G will bring jobs to rural areas and all the benefits of superfast broadband in education and health to its remote communities.
Olaf Swantee, CEO of Everything Everywhere, said that new independent research shows that one in five households in Britain could depend on 4G for superfast broadband in the coming years. Britain deserves a 21st century digital infrastructure, and they are committed to making that a reality for the nation as soon as possible.
UK’s mobile wallet project under Commission review (UK)
The mobile payment platform to be jointly owned by UK’s mobile operators Vodafone, Telefónica UK, and Everything Everywhere, has come under the scanner of the European Commission. The joint venture titled ‘Project Oscar’ enables mobile users to pay for goods and services via their mobile phones.
According to reports, the commission has cited problems regarding the future for competition in UK’s wireless industry as the prime reason for the review. As per a statement made by the commission, the initial review has highlighted potential competition concerns as the joint venture would provide the companies with very high market shares.
As per reports, commission vice-president and competition chief Joaquín Almunia, said that the commission is in favour of any initiative that will develop the promising mobile commerce sector in Europe and bring new and innovative payment and interactive advertising experience to customers. At the same time, they need to make sure that competing services can keep emerging on this market, so that incentives to innovate remain and customers get the best mobile commerce services at the best cost.
The commission added that the joint venture and its three parent companies may have the technical and commercial ability to block future competitors from offering their own mobile wallet services to customers in the UK, or to degrade the quality of these competing wallets so that they become less attractive.
The three mobile operators participating in the mobile wallet service said that during the course of discussions with the commission it has become apparent that the embryonic nature of the mobile payments market in particular means that more time is needed to fully consider the proposed joint venture’s plans for a mobile wallet and engage with the views of other interested parties. They remain confident that an extended review will conclude that the proposed joint venture is pro-competitive and will provide robust competition to global players.
Everything Everywhere appoints Morgan Stanley to sell spectrum (UK)
Mobile operator Everything Everywhere, which operates the T-Mobile and Orange brands in the U.K, has appointed Morgan Stanley to sell spectrum that could be used to roll out 4G mobile broadband services in the U.K. ahead of other operators, as reported by FT.
As per the report, Olaf Swantee, chief executive of Everything Everywhere, said that whoever they sell to has to be approved by the competition authorities. The test is someone who can provide genuine competition.
The spectrum could be priced at around US$634.7 million, and are likely to be of most interest to leading operators, although other large technology groups could also be interested.
Everything Everywhere may launch 4G services in 2012 (UK)
Mobile operator Everything Everywhere has reportedly applied to the regulator Ofcom, seeking permission to provide the new generation 4G LTE service on its existing spectrum. The regulator claims that the operator may be able to launch the new service by this year itself, enabling users to stream and download high definition videos without interruption.
In a statement, the regulator has said that allowing Everything Everywhere to re-use its spectrum in this way is likely to bring material benefits to consumers, including faster mobile broadband speeds and — depending on how Everything Everywhere uses the spectrum — potentially wider mobile broadband coverage in rural areas.
Further, Ofcom has considered whether allowing Everything Everywhere to use this spectrum in this way would distort competition, and provisionally concluded that it would not. The statement also said that given the benefits this would bring to consumers, Ofcom is minded to allow this change of use.
The regulator had initially said that 4G services would be launched in 2013-14.
A spokeswoman for Everything Everywhere said that it’s very important that the UK does not get left behind in the building of a new infrastructure for the digital economy. She added that they welcome the notice of 1800MHz licence variation from Ofcom, as it suggests Ofcom’s willingness to encourage the early deployment of 4G LTE.
However, reports reveal that Vodafone may not be in agreement with the regulator’s move. The company has said that it comes as a surprise that the regulator is now considering giving the largest player in the market permission to use its existing spectrum for 4G services before the rules for the auction have even been concluded or it has divested spectrum as required by the European Commission. The company also claims they seriously doubt that consumers’ best interests will be served by giving one company a significant head start before any of its competitors have a clear path to 4G.
Three delays mobile payment platform launch (UK)
Three leading telecom operators in UK had come together to offer customers a common platform for mobile payment services. As reported earlier, mobile operators Everything Everywhere, O2 and Vodafone revealed plans to offer consumers a common platform, enabling them to pay for goods and services using their mobile handset.
However, according to reports, mobile operator Three has opposed these plans, stating that such a move is discriminatory, as it was excluded from the same. The plan, which has been forwarded to the European Commission for approval, may be delayed owing to this opposition.
Stephen Lerner, regulatory affairs director at Three, said that the JV will control and sell access to over 90 per cent of UK mobile subscribers and their data, thus allowing Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Vodafone and Telefónica to foreclose the market to third-parties and neatly do away with the inconvenience of competing with each other.
He added that they will continue to work with the competition authorities in Europe and the Office of Fair Trading in the UK to ensure that consumers benefit from the development of a competitive market for these services.
Everything Everywhere works towards a 4G future (UK)
Everything Everywhere, the UK’s biggest communications company, has unveiled significant progress in its network integration and evolution and outlined the path toward the roll out of 4G LTE.
According to a report by the company, the roll out of a nationwide HSPA+ (3.5G) network – the latest milestone in the company’s network evolution project – will provide 50 per cent faster data speeds for T-Mobile and Orange mobile broadband customers. In addition, further trials of 4G technology across the country will continue to lay the foundation for a new digital backbone for Britain.
The announcements underline Everything Everywhere’s commitment to building a world class network for consumers and businesses across the UK.
As per the report, Olaf Swantee, CEO, Everything Everywhere, said that their vision is to launch 4G for Britain as soon as possible, and the roll out of 3.5G HSPA+ and our 4G trials across Britain are major steps towards delivering on that promise.
Further, the integration of the Orange and T-Mobile networks has already given their customers the widest 3G coverage in the UK – and their advanced HSPA+ roll out they will also benefit from the fastest.
He added that, subject to regulatory approval by the spring, Everything Everywhere will be in a position to begin the roll out of 4G before the end of the year. There is a great opportunity for the UK to have the 21st Century network that it so deserves, putting the nation on a level playing field with other parts of Europe, the USA and Asia.
Deutsche Telekom to review UK business venture (UK)
Deutsche Telekom AG is pondering over the options to call it quits in the UK market. Exit options are being considered by the Deutsche Telekom due to the requirement of additional funds, as it was unsuccessful in selling its T-Mobile USA unit.
The company needed to raise funds for reducing its debt by US$17 billion and had the plans to repurchase its own shares worth US$ 6.5 billion. Deutsche Telekom also needs funds to upgrade fiber and wireless networks in Germany and other European markets. The deal between Deutsche Telekom and AT&T Inc. to sell off the T-Mobile for $39 billion was cancelled due to the disapproval by the regulatory authority.
As per sources, the company is eyeing options to sell out Everything Everywhere, a joint venture with partner France Telecom and planning to look out for a third-party buyer for the entire operator. Everything Everywhere’s effort to move its clients from short term contracts to larger ones, resulted in a 4.3 per cent decline in third-quarter company sales.
With all the speculations in the background, Deutsche Telekom is looking forward to upgrade the operational performance prior to any decision on sale, as it has still not appointed any investment banks for suggestions on the exit option. However, the company has cleared the air and has confirmed that it has no plans to exit the UK market and has a strong foothold amongst its competitors. However, France Telecom refused to comment on the issue.
Ofcom revises proposal for LTE auction plans (UK)
Independent regulator and competition authority Ofcom, has reportedly made changes to its proposal for the upcoming LTE mobile spectrum auction in an attempt to provide better mobile internet services in many rural and underserved areas.
As per sources, Ed Richards, CEO, Ofcom, has said that they are proposing a significant enhancement of mobile broadband, extending 4G coverage beyond levels of existing 2G coverage – helping to serve many areas of the UK that have traditionally been underserved by network coverage.
Further, reports reveal that the competition authority had initially reserved some portion of the spectrum for Everthing Everywhere which is no longer a part of the revised proposal. Ofcom claims that because of their current spectrum holdings, and/or the much lower risk that these national wholesalers would fail to acquire further spectrum in the auction, they do not consider it necessary to reserve any spectrum for Everything Everywhere, Telefonica or Vodafone.
The regulator also believes it is more viable to reserve some of the available spectrum for a fourth national wholesaler, someone other than Everything Everywhere, Telefonica or Vodafone.
China Telecom to launch MVNO service in UK (China, UK)
China Telecom (Europe), China Telecom’s wholly-owned subsidiary for the EMEA region, has entered into a network sharing agreement with mobile operator Everything Everywhere for launching its MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) service in UK in the coming months.
According to company reports, the partnership was secured through Everything Everywhere’s Mobile Virtual Network Aggregator (MVNA) Transatel. Further, with this deal, China Telecom (Europe) plans to target Chinese residents and businesses in the UK, as well as visitors to the country such as students and tourists.
Yan Ou, Managing Director, China Telecom (Europe) has reportedly said that entering the UK mobile market is a strategic move for the operator. Also, they selected Everything Everywhere based on the strength of its network, and Transatel’s proven track record of getting MVNOs up and running quickly and efficiently. He added that they are keen to launch the service in the UK as soon as possible as there is a real gap in the market for the provision of tailored mobile services and competitive tariffs aimed at the growing Chinese population in the UK.
Company reports reveal that Marc Overton, Vice President (Wholesale and M2M), Everything Everywhere, said that they are delighted that they have been selected by China Telecom (Europe) as its MVNO partner in the UK. Further, Everything Everywhere offers MVNO customers the biggest 3G network and widest 3G coverage in the UK, making them the partner of choice for MVNOs.
