Telecoms news from UK

Reading On Electronic Devices Overtakes Print -- For British Children

For the first time British children are reading more on computers and other electronic devices than they are reading books, magazines, newspapers and comics. ...more.

London Expands Municipal Wi-Fi Coverage

A district of the UK city, London is to get a municipal Wi-Fi network after the local government authority signed a 10-year deal with Arqiva. ...more.

Increased Wi-Fi Coverage for Scottish Railway Passengers

UK based railway operator, ScotRail has announced that it will offer free Wi-Fi coverage at 25 of its stations as part of a government funded scheme. ...more.

UK's Freeview Television in talks to Enable TV Viewing on Tablets

Television software developer, Motive Television says that it plans to develop its Tablet Television technology to enable Freeview users in UK to watch and record television programmes directly onto tablets - without the need to connect to the internet. ...more.

BBC iPlayer Comes to Windows Phone 8 Based Handsets

The UK broadcaster, the BBC has expanded its mobile television player service to work on Windows Phone 8 based smartphones. ...more.

Low risk to Freeview in London from 4G at 800MHz

Tests of whether LTE services will affect terrestrial television services in the UK has found no problems in the capital city, London. ...more.

British Telecom Deploys 5 Millionth Wi-Fi Hotspot

The UK's British Telecom has announced that its Wi-Fi service has reached more than 5 million hotspots in the UK and Ireland, with the company adding more than 20,000 new hotspots each week over the past year. ...more.

UK Based EE Clarifies Reports that it Sells Customer Data

The UK based mobile network operator, EE has denied reports that it is selling its customers personal information to Ipsos MORI, a polling company. ...more.

BT Branded 4G Service as Soon as Next Year Says CEO

The UK's dominant landline network, British Telecom (BT) expects to be able to launch a 4G-branded mobile network as soon as next year. ...more.

Contract to Boost UK's Rural Broadband Services Awarded to Controversial Bidder

A contract to improve mobile broadband coverage in rural areas across the UK has been awarded to a company that has been criticized after it was awarded to a company with a controversial tax minimization structure. ...more.

UK Mobile Phone Theft Rates Remain Largely Stable at 2% of Users

Around 2 percent of Brits suffered from a stolen mobile phone to the 2011/12 Crime Survey for England and Wales. This proportion has been broadly consistent since 2005/06 -- when the question was first introduced in the annual crime survey. ...more.

Brits One Pay for 1-in-10 Mobile App Downloads

British smartphone owners typically only pay for one-in-ten mobile apps they download from app stores. ...more.

UK's Arqiva Buys Wi-Fi Ad Agency

UK based broadcast towers operator, Arqiva has bought the remaining half of local Wi-Fi advertising agency, Selective Media that it did not already own. ...more.

Barnes & Noble Adds Google Play App Store to Nook EBook Reader

US book seller, Barnes & Noble has announced a deal to put the Google Play mobile app store onto its Nook ebook readers. ...more.

Apple's iPad growth slows as UK tablet market continues to expand

This year, eMarketer estimates, nearly 20 million people in the UK will use a tablet at least once per month, up 39% over 2012's 14.1 million users. This includes people of all ages who use tablet devices-not just tablet owners. ...more.

UK Expands Tests of LTE Interference of TV Broadcasts

The UK company set up to test television interference from forthcoming LTE services, at800 has announced plans for an extended trial in the seaside town of Brighton on the UK's south coast. ...more.

Android set to spike with HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 launches

The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech shows Android continuing to dominate the number one OS spot in Great Britain, with 58.4% of the market, and this looks set to grow with new phone releases. ...more.

BT Wins 4G Backhaul Contract from O2 UK

UK based landline network, British Telecom (BT) has signed a new ten year deal with Telefonica UK to support the introduction of 4G services for O2 customers. ...more.

British Telecom Mulls Reentry into Mobile Market

The UK's dominant landline operator, British Telecom (BT) is reported to be in talks to re-enter the mobile phone market, 12 years after it sold off what is now the O2 mobile network. ...more.

Mobile Devices Now Account for 25% of Total UK Paid Search Spend

The role of mobile phones and tablets in U.K. paid search advertising has continued to increase and now accounts for roughly 25% of total spend and 28% of total clicks, ...more.