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Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
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Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
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Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
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UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
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Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
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Opinion Articles

Privacy in Mobile Apps: MEF roundtable in Barcelona

During Mobile World Congress 2012, TheFonecast.com was invited to record a roundtable on Privacy in Mobile Applications. This event was hosted by MEF, the global community for mobile content and commerce, and was supported by SNR Denton.

Our recording is now online at TheFonecast.com and on the MEF blog.

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Last week at The Fonecast: 19th March 2012

Mark Bridge writes:

Mobile financial services were making the headlines yet again last week. Not once. Not twice. No, we noticed at least three separate (and all pretty big) stories to talk about.

First came Nokia’s planned withdrawal from its mobile money service, which will leave around a million people in India looking for a new mobile wallet.

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Apple iPad dictation isn't perfect but customers love it anyway

Mark Bridge writes:

Excuse me a moment while I climb onto my soapbox.

Right. Ooh, it’s busy up here.

For a number of years, various companies have worked on computer-powered dictation and transcription services. Now Apple has entered this space.

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Rebtel: the mobile VoIP rebel that speaks its mind

Mark Bridge writes:

Back in the 1960s, Hertz was the number one hire car company in the USA. Avis was trailing a long way behind. Looking for a new advertising campaign, CEO Robert Townsend spoke to Bill Bernbach - the ‘B’ in ad agency DDB - and a few months later “We try harder” became the Avis tagline.

“Avis is only No.2 in rent a cars” the headlines admitted. “We try harder. When you’re not the biggest, you have to.”

It’s a message I was reminded of when I met Andreas Bernström at Mobile World Congress last month. Andreas is CEO of Rebtel, the world’s second-largest mobile Voice-over-IP company. With Skype seen as market leader for VoIP services, I asked Andreas whether Rebtel also needed to try harder.

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Has Apple messed up the user experience by creating its new iPad?

Mark Bridge writes:

The new iPad has a better screen. Higher-resolution. Clearer. High Definition. Just what everyone wants, right?

Apparently not.

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Virgin Media completes a major refinancing programme

Virgin Media, which offers a 'quad-play' combination of broadband, TV, fixed-line phone and mobile services in the UK, has completed a three-year refinancing programme. It says this has fundamentally changed the capital structure of its business, providing greater flexibility and scope for the use of any surplus future cash flow.

Over the past three years, Virgin Media has worked with its lenders to significantly change its debt mix from predominantly near-term bank debt to predominantly longer-term bond debt at attractive financing costs. During this period the company has issued $1 billion of convertible notes, £1.7 billion of senior unsecured notes and £1.5 billion of senior secured notes. It also successfully amended its senior credit facilities in October 2008 and again in October 2009 to improve repayment options and flexibility and today closed a new £1.9 billion bank facility.

Virgin Media says it now has a capital structure that will allow it greater focus on its operational plans and flexibility around the future use of cash flow, as well as driving top-line growth.

Eamonn O’Hare, Virgin Media’s chief financial officer, said, "Our focus has been to steer the business into a position where we have a long-term, fit-for-purpose capital structure that supports our ambitions. The completion of this process is a major achievement, particularly in light of the market conditions over much of the last three years. In order to overcome those issues in the credit markets, we have been innovative and proactive in our efforts to substantially reduce our refinancing risk."

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