EU Regulators have found last week an agreement on new rules concerning online content portability, allowing EU citizens to access online subscription services with no restrictions while travelling within the Union. The new rules will practically end the so-called “geo-blocking tactics”, and will enable European consumers to access services such as Netflix, Sky’s Now and Spotify […]Digital Single Market: New EU rules for online subscription services
February 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment
EU Regulators have found last week an agreement on new rules concerning online content portability, allowing EU citizens to access online subscription services with no restrictions while travelling within the Union. The new rules will practically end the so-called “geo-blocking tactics”, and will enable European consumers to access services such as Netflix, Sky’s Now and Spotify […]EU’s tougher privacy rules: WhatsApp and Facebook set to be soon aligned with telcos
January 17, 2017 by Leave a Comment
With an official statement, the European Commission last week published its proposal to reform the existing European online privacy rules. Companies such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Google will face tougher rules on the tracking of users under a wider update of the e-privacy directive, which will also impact cookies regulation. The EU says the new […]How did Facebook fool the Commission that easily during the WhatsApp acquisition?
December 21, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The European Commission announced yesterday that a Statement of Objections was sent to Facebook accusing the company of providing incorrect or misleading information during the investigation under Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp. The aforementioned information was that Facebook had initially reassured the EC that it was not possible to match the user accounts of Facebook and WhatsApp. However, […]Apple’s tax avoidance scheme remains as creative as their new iPhone
December 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This article was written by one of our passionate readers, Mrs Rachel Everly. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not The European Sting’s position on the issue. The annual report released by Apple is hinting very strongly that they are continuing to earn good profits, which are unfortunately being funneled offshore to avoid […]Competing with Apple and leading innovation: Google’s world replies to EU on android charges
November 15, 2016 by 1 Comment
It was not a surprise or an unexpected twiddle, when last week Google like a fine-tuned clockwork delivered its formal reply to the European Commission, regarding the Android antitrust case. With a blog post on Thursday, the US tech giant has officially dismissed the third set of formal charges by the European Commission, saying that […]An American duel in Brussels: Salesforce against Microsoft over Linkedin deal
October 4, 2016 by 5 Comments
When earlier this year Microsoft snapped up the world’s headlines by announcing it would have acquired LinkedIn with a colossal $26.2 billion deal, everyone was already preparing for the shockwaves this move would have generated. Last week, US cloud computing company Salesforce.com openly urged European Union regulators to block the acquisition over unfair competition concerns. […]EU is now giving Google new monopolies to the detriment of European citizens and Internet companies
September 16, 2016 by 2 Comments
This article was exclusively written for The Sting by Mr Joe McNamee, Executive Director of EDRi, the Brussels-based association of civil and human rights organisations from across Europe that defends rights and freedoms in the digital environment. There is a lot of noise in the press and among lobbyists about an alleged hostility of the EU towards big American internet […]EU’s guidelines on net neutrality see the light although grey areas do remain
September 6, 2016 by 2 Comments
Last week will not only be remembered for the world-record fine imposed to Apple by the European Union and the Hutchison-VimpelCom merger in Italy. There was also space for some important news on net neutrality. The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), which is the regulating agency of the telecommunication market in the […]Can the EU really make Google and Facebook pay publishers and media?
August 30, 2016 by 2 Comments
According to a number of media outlets of the Old Continent, the closing weeks of this summer will try to bring a major reform in the European publishing industry. As revealed last week by the Guardian and the Financial Times, the European Commission is working on a plan to give news publishers the right to demand […]EU opens a third antitrust file against Google
July 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The European Commission announced last Thursday that is taking “further steps” in investigation against Google, officially accusing the company of having restricted consumer choice by blocking rivals in online search advertising. Although it sounds like there’s absolutely nothing new about this new complaint against Google, the latest antitrust charge filed by the Commission, which is […]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 […]
