A new National Connectivity Alliance (the NCA) has been launch today, which for the first time brings together UK telecommunications providers (mobile and broadband), infrastructure providers, landowners and their professional advisers. The goal is to collaborate on areas of mutual interest and that may boost the rollout of new networks. At this point it’s probably […]

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The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is pressing ahead with a full investigation into the tech giant’s dominance in the mobile browser market

This week, the CMA has announced that it has launched a full market investigation into the market dominance of Apple and Google’s respective mobile browsers, saying they “exercise a stranglehold” over the mobile software ecosystem.

The CMA first launched a consultation back in June, the results of which show a “substantial support” for a deeper investigation into Apple and Googles’ policies regarding their mobile browsers.

According to the CMA, 97% of all mobile web traffic in the UK is facilitated by either Apple’s Safari browser or Google’s Google Chrome.

“Apple and Google have an effective duopoly on mobile ecosystems that allows them to exercise a stranglehold over operating systems, app stores and web browsers on mobile devices,” wrote the CMA in a press release.

The CMA fears that this dominance not only stifles competition in the mobile browser market itself and disincentivises the tech giants to invest in their browsers, but also directly impacts web developers through restrictions the two companies impose.

“Many UK businesses and web developers tell us they feel that they are being held back by restrictions set by Apple and Google,” said Sarah Cardell, interim chief executive of the CMA. “We plan to investigate whether the concerns we have heard are justified and, if so, identify steps to improve competition and innovation in these sectors.”

The investigation will also focus on these browsers’ relationships to cloud gaming, with the CMA suggesting that Apple restricts customer access to cloud gaming applications through its app store.

Both Apple and Google, naturally, argue that the current market dynamics are functional and promote competition. In particular, Google was quick to pin much of the CMA’s regulatory concern on Apple, given the latter’s ban on alternative browsers on iOS and restrictions on cloud gaming in the App Store.

The news of this probe comes at a time when both Google and Apple are facing increasing pressure from EU regulatory bodies, with antitrust bodies already separately investigating both companies.

Also in the news:
Vestager: Restricting “high-risk” vendors a “matter of urgency” for EU
UKRI selects BT consortium for intelligent drone project
IRIS cable set to link Iceland and Ireland

The post CMA probes Apple and Google over browser “duopoly”   first appeared on Total Telecom.

Rural broadband ISP Gigaclear, which has already covered 360,000 premises (up from 300,000 in May 2022) across rural parts of England with their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, has today announced that they’ve expanded into Derbyshire and aim to cover a total of more than 25,000 premises in the county. The first 9,000 homes to benefit from […]

Consumer and wholesale broadband provider TalkTalk has today announced that they’ve agreed a new “strategic partnership” with Telecom Acquisitions Ltd, which manages a multitude of broadband ISP brands and products (e.g. Home Telecom, Fleur Telecom, Hive Telecom and Eclipse Broadband). The announcement states that the new partnership is designed to deliver the growth of TAL […]

Network builder and UK ISP Upp has today confirmed that they’ve started rolling out their new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to 35,000 premises (homes and business) across the Norfolk town of King’s Lynn. But we’ve also managed to pull the full rollout plan (so far) from their website. Upp – supported by funding from […]

Budget UK ISP Plusnet, which is part of the BT Group, appears to have now officially stopped taking on new SME (small and medium-sized) business customers. A message on their website confirms that the products are “no longer available” and instead directs new customers to take up packages directly with BT. Regular readers may recall […]

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The service connects deaf, hard of hearing, and speech-impaired customers with a 24-hour interpreter to facilitate calls with family, friends, and organisations with whom they would otherwise struggle to communicate

This week, South African telco group Vodacom has launched a National Relay Service (NRS) in a bid to help build a more digitally inclusive society and support their deaf, hearing-impaired, and speech-impaired customers.

The NRS system works by connecting any Vodacom customer that uses South African sign language (SASL) to a specially trained SASL interpreter when they make a call to a third party that does not understand SASL. The interpreter then acts as a central link on the call, facilitating communication between the SASL user and the speaking recipient in real time.

In this way, the 24-hour NRS will allow customers that use SASL to make calls to friends, family, and external organisations on their own at any time, without needing to ask someone nearby to facilitate.

Vodacom says this will give its customers more autonomy when using connected devices and, crucially, will help support these customers in requesting help from emergency services.

The type of relay service delivered will be matched to the user’s individual needs, allowing them to choose between voice relay, text relay, live chat, captioned telephony relay, and video relay.

“The Specific Needs and NRS Centre offers an inclusive technology solution that advances our goal of empowering all South Africans and ensuring no one is left behind in the digitalisation journey. The launch of this system is another example of how Vodacom is delivering on its purpose to connect for a better future,” said Takalani Netshitenzhe, Executive Director of External Affairs for Vodacom South Africa.

The idea of the NRS itself is not overly novel – for example, apps like Be My Eyes, which connects blind and visually impaired people to sighted volunteers, have existed for almost a decade now – but this is one of few examples of mobile operators incorporating such technology directly into their own service offerings.

It should be noted that Vodacom’s efforts to improve digital inclusion within the telecoms industry date back to at least 2004, when the operator launched its Specific Needs initiative, aimed at overcoming barriers to communication for customers with disabilities.

Since then, various solutions have been developed as part of the programme, including devices designed for the visually impaired, text-based emergency services for deaf and hard-of-hearing customers, and a dedicated call centre for disabled customers.

Also in the news:
Vestager: Restricting “high-risk” vendors a “matter of urgency” for EU
UKRI selects BT consortium for intelligent drone project
IRIS cable set to link Iceland and Ireland

The post Vodacom launches National Relay Service to boost digital inclusion first appeared on Total Telecom.

VIEWPOINT

The foundation of every smart home is fast, reliable wifi to keep your smart devices – like lights, thermostats, plugs, and more – connected. And with more people working from home, the need has never been greater for strong connectivity.

eero, an Amazon company, is a pioneer in home mesh wifi systems and continues to innovate using the latest technologies, including Wi-Fi 6 capable devices like eero Pro 6E and eero 6+.

At Connected Britain, we spoke with Gabe Kassel, principal product manager at eero, to learn more about eero’s offerings, the new Matter protocol, and the company’s integration with TalkTalk.

 

For more information about eero wifi systems, visit eero.com.

The post How eero is powering your smart home first appeared on Total Telecom.

Cityfibre has today announced that their huge £270 million rollout of a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP network across Glasgow (Scotland) is being extended into the Clydebank area, which will be supported by a new civil engineering contractor – local company IMS Scotland. The Glasgow project, which began in 2021, is the operator’s […]

Openreach (BT) has reportedly informed its suppliers that their need to curb costs and get more “bang for its buck” will impact the UK rollout of their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network, which will “include an element of cancellation or suspension” of some work and have a “financial impact“. The rollout, which is expected […]