Telecoms Tech

As part of an initiative to get cat videos – I mean the internet – out in developing countries; Google has ambitious plans to deliver access in these locations by balloons, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Bear with me on this; this is a strange thing to write about as well as read I’m sure.

TelecomsTech has previously reported about Google’s “Fiber” initiative, bringing high-speed broadband and TV packages to select areas of Kansas City. As part of the TV service a mobile app had been released on Android – and now a similar app has just been unleashed on the iPad.

Three of the largest Belgian internet service providers (ISPs) have not been paying “copyright levies” according to authors’ association Sabam, whilst still offering access to protected materials.

The last few weeks for both BT and TalkTalk have been interesting for UK telecoms - some may say slightly pathetic - but a lot is at stake for the broadband companies’ financial future.

Last month, Neelie Kroes used her MWC 2013 speech to call for a single Telecoms market, which as Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda holds some amount of weight, so how has the industry reacted?

The UK telecommunications regulatory body Ofcom has announced the results of the 4G auction raising a less than expected £2.34bn ($3.59bn) in revenue. The overall figures may be seen as disappointing given the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had predicted a £3.5bn ($5.37bn) windfall from the auction. The UK 3G auctions in 2000 raised £22bn in comparison.

A budget reshuffle from the European Union has culminated in the European broadband budget being cut by 90%, from €9.2 billion (£7bn) to €1 billion (£859m) and leaving original broadband rollout plans in tatters.

4G has had its fair share of praise and criticism. It undoubtedly brings with it the promise of increased demand for faster downloads and seamless streaming services, but that's kind of missing the point. What do operators need to consider building the right 4G propositions and delivering them smoothly? Are there relevant learnings from the previous move from 2.5G to 3G?