LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE 360 EUROPE: Europe has the opportunity to regain its digital leadership, although the different national regulatory and legal environments across the continent present challenges for participants, Mats Granryd, director general of GSMA, stated this morning. “We have a unique opportunity to regain the industry leadership. With 5G and IoT around the […]GSMA head urges regulators to help Europe regain leadership
June 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE 360 EUROPE: Europe has the opportunity to regain its digital leadership, although the different national regulatory and legal environments across the continent present challenges for participants, Mats Granryd, director general of GSMA, stated this morning. “We have a unique opportunity to regain the industry leadership. With 5G and IoT around the […]The EU finally seizes the opportunity to support the sharing economy?
June 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last week, the much awaited response around the fate of the so-called “sharing economy” in Europe arrived from Brussels, and big players such as Uber and Airbnb can finally take a sigh of relief. On June 2 the European Union came up with a list of guiding principles for its Member States on how to “engage […]Google once more under EU crossfire from a possible record fine and new Right to be forgotten case
May 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Many years have passed but the controversial conflict between the European Commission and Google doesn’t seem to be reaching any equilibrium. Indeed the long story is now ready to land to a new turning point. According to the Sunday Telegraph, Google may soon be hit with a 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) fine by the European Commission for market monopoly, […]The EU cuts roaming charges further while the UK weighs Brexit impact
May 3, 2016 by 1 Comment
Since April 30, using a mobile phone within the EU is significantly cheaper for European citizens. Last Saturday, 30 of April, a new interim cap on mobile roaming charges in the European Union came into effect, with cuts the bill up to nearly 75 per cent. The new cost cap is the latest move in the […]Vestager vs. Google: a fight to ensure a competitive innovation framework
April 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The EU Consumer and Competition Day took place yesterday in Amsterdam with Margrethe Vestager to reveal her will to charge Google for exploiting consumers by pre-installing Android apps on their smartphones. European Commission (EC) is showing its teeth once again, after Microsoft antitrust case a decade ago, against giant tech companies which are finding ways […]Will the European Court of Justice change data privacy laws to tackle terrorism?
March 30, 2016 by 1 Comment
The next European Court of Justice (ECJ) meeting will take place on April 12 regarding the breaching of human rights by the massive interception of communication data. This hearing is very crucial as it is probable that the EU judges will decide to cut down on the power of UK surveillance laws since ECJ’s rulings are binding on UK courts […]MWC 2016: IoT experts fret over fragmentation
February 26, 2016 by 1 Comment
Market fragmentation, perhaps inevitably, was a dominant theme in an MWC session titled Unleashing the Value of IoT platforms. Beecham principle analyst, Saverio Romeo, who moderated the session, reckoned there were around 300 IoT platforms in operation today. “There are so many standards and no clear winners,” remarked Angelo Corsaro, CTO of PrismTech, which focuses […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Freemium MVNO model a success, claims FreedomPop head
February 26, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The UK launch of its free MVNO service was a success, said FreedomPop president Nicholas Constantinopoulos. “It has been a showcase for the company and demonstrates we can break into markets other than the US. We’re in talks with other operators in Latin America, Asia and Africa to do the same.” He confirmed that the […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Gamelab founder talks Apple TV, VR and monetisation
February 26, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Apple TV’s “ambition is defining the standard of the next-gen home entertainment centre” in which gaming apps will play a crucial role, according to Ivan Fernandez Lobo, founder and chairman of Gamelab Conference. Developers are only just starting to understand the power of the platform, said Fernandez Lobo, who believes that thanks to “new capabilities […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Under Armour learns from “robust community of data”
February 26, 2016 by Leave a Comment
In light of the controversy over the accuracy of Fitbit’s heart rate monitor, Under Armour’s (UA) chief digital officer, Robin Thurston, said his company “doesn’t claim to be more or less accurate than others on the market”. However, with more than a decade of workout tracking and food logging, he believes Under Armour has “years […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Getty chief says one in four new images from phones
February 26, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Dawn Airey may be the CEO of image library Getty Images, but she’s also a fan of the odd sneaky smartphone snap and argues there are moments when images from our phones have the edge over those from a professional’s camera. Speaking during the Mobile is Commerce session, Airey revealed that a surprisingly large amount […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Xiaomi looks to revive growth with flagships
February 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Chinese smartphone player Xiaomi this morning unveiled its latest flagship smartphones, the Mi5 and Mi5 Pro, as it attempts to turnaround its fortunes after missing its handset target last year. The once fast-rising firm missed its 2015 handset target of 80 million by 12 per cent and also reportedly failed to reach its $1 billion […]MWC 2016 LIVE: 5G to embrace unlicensed bands and Wi-Fi
February 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The 5G technology roadmap will include Wi-Fi and the use of unlicensed spectrum bands, said Nokia’s head of e2e mobile network solutions, Peter Merz. “Wi-Fi has become a de-facto service and needs to be integrated into 5G,” claimed Merz at a panel session on 5G technology, timelines and applications. “While the use of unlicensed spectrum […]MWC 2016 LIVE: BlackBerry acquires Encription, talks Microsoft and health
February 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
BlackBerry acquired UK security firm Encription, bolstering a move into cybersecurity consulting that was announced here at MWC. The company has created a Professional CyberSecurity Services practice which will offer organisations consulting services, tools and best practice. BlackBerry was tight-lipped on the detail of the Encription deal, which closed late last week (19 February). Talking […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Stripe gives payments leg-up to startups in emerging markets
February 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Patrick Collison, co-founder and chief executive of US payments company Stripe, used his keynote presentation this afternoon to speak about Atlas, a beta product designed to help entrepreneurs based in developing markets “gain access to the same business infrastructure enjoyed by tech companies here in Europe or the US”. Collison spoke of an uneven playing field, where […]MWC 2016 LIVE: T-Mobile US reveals 5G trial plans
February 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
T-Mobile US followed rivals Verizon and AT&T by revealing plans to hold field trials for 5G later this year, with vendors Ericsson and Nokia announcing separate partnerships with the operator. The news does however come as somewhat of a surprise in light of comments made by T-Mobile US’ outspoken CEO John Legere just last week, who hit out at […]MWC 2016 Live: Roshan CEO opens up on Afghanistan challenges
February 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Karim Khoja, Roshan CEO, urged the global community not to forget the ongoing connectivity issues in Afghanistan, in light of recent problems in other parts of the world. Khoja founded Roshan in 2003 and is one of six providers in the country, and the company now has more than 7 million subscribers. In his ‘Mobile […]MWC 2016 Live: Industrial world prepares to reap digital benefits
February 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The industrial world is set to embrace the internet and digitisation as companies seek to return to the levels of productivity gains they have not seen in a decade. William Ruh (pictured), CEO of GE Digital, said today during his keynote at Congress that the last decade was more about the consumer internet. “But by […]MWC 2016 Live: Mobile ad industry still waiting for “revolution”
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Martin Sorrell, chief executive of advertising group WPP, bemoaned some shortcomings in his industry that mean mobile advertising is still not taking off as much as it should. “Probably the mobile revolution has not registered yet with companies, although it might have registered more ironically with the long tail then it has with larger companies. […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Orange targets VoLTE and Voice over Wi-Fi; strikes Google partnership
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Orange today announced the launch of its first smartphone compatible with VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling, as it affirmed its intentions to roll-out the two services across its European footprint. The majority of the operators’ customers will however have to wait to access both services, which have only so far been launched in Romania. It said […]MWC 2016 LIVE: GTI shifts to phase two – 5G – after hitting milestones
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI), after reaching most of its stated goals, is moving to the next stage, GTI 2.0, with its focus turning to 5G and the industrialisation of mobile networks. GTI chairman Craig Ehrlich opened the GTI Summit today by stating that with its mission largely completed, the question is, what is next? […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Telenor CEO calls on operators to embrace Mobile Connect initiative
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Telenor CEO Sigve Brekke took to the stage to urge more operators to embrace the GSMA’s Mobile Connect ID authentication initiative, saying that the industry needs to cooperate to keep control of the log-in in order to retain ownership of the customer relationship and stay relevant in an increasingly digital world. Just this week, GSMA […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Ingenu steps up efforts to build LPWA networks across the globe
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Ingenu, the US-based low power wide area (LPWA) network specialist, said it has accelerated the pace of its strategy to build public networks exclusively for machine traffic in markets across the globe. John Horn, CEO of Ingenu, formerly known as On-Ramp Wireless, said the company’s five-year plan “has turned into a five-month strategy based on […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Verizon boasts momentum for IoT platform
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Verizon said more than 4,000 developers are using ThingSpace, the Internet of Things (IoT) platform that the operator unveiled last October. The operator also announced plans to open up ThingSpace – designed to make it easier for developers to roll out IoT devices and applications – to third-party network and technology service providers. A new […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Intel focuses on 5G “beyond the Powerpoint”
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Intel’s 5G media event at Congress was full of details about partnerships, products and prototypes, as if the company wanted to avoid the charges of hyperbole that surrounds many mentions of the next-generation technology this week. The company updated on how it is developing 5G with a range of partners, including other vendors as well as operators. […]MWC 2016 LIVE: EC adds Brazil to partner tally
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The European Commission (EC) announced an agreement with Brazil to develop 5G technology, building on similar partnerships with South Korea, China and Japan. In a signing held at Mobile World Congress, the parties committed to a joint collaboration to “strengthen cooperation in this strategic area and to make sure that 5G does not develop in […]MWC 2016 LIVE: BT chief aims to be at UK 5G forefront
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Gavin Patterson, chief executive of BT Group, spelt out ambitious plans to invest in next-generation access technologies – including 5G – following the £13 billion acquisition of EE, the UK’s largest mobile operator. Pointing out that BT has been investing in wireless R&D for some time before the EE acquisition, and is part of the […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Qualcomm looks to pick up Hamilton’s winning ways
February 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Qualcomm used its keynote this evening to talk up its credentials for connected, electric and self-driving cars, aided by the presence of F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. The presence of Hamilton, along with Paddy Lowe, executive director, technical for Mercedes AMG Petronas, and the team’s winning car from last season, enabled the US tech firm to draw […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Mobile Connect availability hits 2B
February 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The GSMA’s Mobile Connect mobile-based authentication solution is now available to some two billion customers, the industry association said today. Since its introduction at Mobile World Congress in 2014, 34 network operators in 21 countries have launched, “with plans for additional launches and trials to follow in 2016 and beyond”.Mats Granryd, director general of GSMA, said: […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Industry looks to reduce mobile gender gap
February 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
GSMA launched the Connected Women Commitment Initiative, with initial commitments from operator members aiming to connect millions more women in low and middle-income countries by 2020. The aim is to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The work builds on projects that already see […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Mobile has power to tame transaction fees – PayPal CEO
February 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
For billions of people across the world, even the simplest financial transactions can be either extremely time consuming or very expensive, which PayPal president CEO Dan Schulman said is “just crazy” in a world of high mobile and smartphone penetration. In his keynote at Mobile World Congress, Schulman said: “We have the ability to make […]MWC 2016 LIVE: Ford trumpets new in-vehicle system, “fundamentally rethinks” transportation
February 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Ford is aggressively pursuing opportunities in the mobile space in its quest to “fundamentally rethink transportation”, its CEO, Mark Fields, said in the Mobile is Connected Living keynote. It is looking to transition from being an “automotive company” to an “auto and mobility” company, through its Smart Mobility efforts – its plan to be a […]MWC 2016 LIVE: CEOs issue rallying call to drive ‘gigabit economy’
February 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
CEOs from the world’s largest mobile operators highlighted the challenges facing the industry over the coming five years, as society adapts to the changes being brought by advancements in mobile technology and digitisation. In the opening keynote on Monday, Mats Granryd (pictured), director general of GSMA, said mobile technology has already played a huge part […]
