Revenue at Chinese telecom rose 10% as net profit more than doubles
Chinese telecoms firm Huawei grew faster in 2023 than it has for four years, as it shrugged off the impact of US sanctions.
Revenues rose by nearly 10% to 704.2bn yuan (£77bn) as the Shenzhen-based company enjoyed a rebound within its consumer segment, which includes smartphone handsets.
Continue reading...Telcos promised no loss of coverage but farmers outside official coverage areas fear their lifeline will turn off
Stacey Storrier was told she was “lucky” that she received mobile phone service at her home in the New South Wales Riverina region.
But when Telstra’s 3G network is switched off on 30 June, that luck will run out.
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Continue reading...More than 70,000 affected as users of AT&T report disruptions including to emergency service calls
A cellular phone outage hit cities across the US early on Thursday. Thousands of AT&T customers reported service disruptions that rendered them unable to send texts, access the internet or make calls, even to emergency services via 911.
More than 50,000 incidents were reported at about 7am ET, according to data from the outage tracking website Downdetector.com. Outage reports spiked above 70,000 around 9am ET.
Continue reading...UK’s mobile and broadband firms were accused of ‘greedflation’ last year by the Guardian
BT has become the first major telecoms company to scrap controversial above-inflation price rises for mobile and broadband customers – but not before pushing through a final increase this year.
The owner of mobile operator EE has moved to address the pressure on consumers from rising household costs during the cost of living crisis, after telecoms companies were criticised for increasing bills.
Continue reading...Hospitals, homes, businesses and transport services hit by Australia-wide internet, mobile and landline network blackout; CEO says there is a ‘path to restoration’
Here’s what we know about the Optus outage so far:
Millions of Australian customers and businesses have been hit by a widespread outage on the Optus network. Affected services include mobile and fixed-line networks, along with internet connections.
According to Downdetector, reports of an outage began at 4am AEDT. A spike of reports flooded through at 5.45am, when 8,180 reports of an outage were received.
Optus provided a statement online about 6.45am, saying it was “aware of an issue impacting Optus mobile and nbn services” and was working to restore services “as quickly as possible”.
At 10.30am AEDT the telco’s chief executive, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, told ABC Radio Sydney the company had tested a number of “hypotheses” about what might have caused the problem but none fixed the issue.
The federal communications minister, Michelle Rowland, said a protocol was in place to allow Optus customers to “camp” on other mobile networks when needing to call 000. There was a marked increase in camping calls on Wednesday.
However, Victoria’s health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, urged people not to use Optus-linked phones to call triple zero. She said some Optus users had reported they are unable to get through.
At 12.55pm, Optus wrote on X that some services across fixed and mobile were gradually being restored. “This may take a few hours for all services to recover, and different services may restore at different sites over that time.”
Optus also reiterated its “apology to customers for the nationwide service outage”, and said it was aware of some mobile phones having issues connecting to 000. “If Optus customers need to call emergency services, we suggest finding a family member or neighbour with an alternative device.”
Shortly after 1pm Rosmarin announced that there was now a “path to restoration” and that some users had had services restored.
The outage caused major service disruptions and delays across the Melbourne train network. It was also affecting phone lines at hospitals across the country.
Rowland and the Coalition’s communications spokesperson, David Coleman, have urged Optus to keep its customers updated.
The Communication Workers Union has labelled today’s Optus outage as an “absolute disgrace” that has left vulnerable people “relying on landlines without emergency help”.
The telecommunications industry ombudsman has released a statement advising Optus customers: “We can help you with refunds for the time you have been unable to use your service, compensation claims and disputes about your contract.”
Rowland earlier said information about the cause of the outage was limited but suggested a “deep network problem”. She said there was no information suggesting a cyber-attack as of Wednesday morning.
Rowland advised small businesses to keep receipts as an “evidentiary base” for recourse and redress.
The Greens will move for an urgent inquiry into the outage in the Senate later today.
The South Australian premier said his government was already talking to Telstra about switching some of its “critical services” away from Optus. Peter Malinauskus also said the state government was “disappointed with Optus”.
Continue reading...Finnish telecoms group aims to cut costs as demand for mobile network equipment slumps
Nokia has announced plans to cut up to 14,000 jobs over the next three years as it slashes costs after a worse-than-expected slump in demand for its mobile network equipment.
The Finnish technology company said the plans to cut 16% of its 86,000-strong global workforce were part of efforts to cut costs by €1.2bn by the end of 2026. The cuts were announced as the company revealed a 70% drop in third-quarter profits, which fell to €133m (£116m) compared with €428m a year earlier.
Continue reading...Tie-up is a ‘terrible deal for Britain’ that also poses risks for national security, Unite claims
Mobile phone bills could rise by as much as £300 a year as a result of the merger of the UK operations of Vodafone and the owner of Three, a trade union has said.
Unite has been a vocal critic of the proposed deal, which would create the UK’s largest mobile operator, and said that it is a “terrible” deal that also poses risks for national security.
Continue reading...Most schools had policies before government’s plan, and there are concerns about safety and implications for carers of outright ban
Glyn Potts, head teacher at Newman Roman Catholic College in Oldham, could not hide his irritation at the morning headlines announcing a government ban on mobile phones in state schools in England.
His school, like the vast majority, already has a mobile phone policy. “All banned and have been for 10 years,” he said, dismissing the announcement by the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, as a “smokescreen” to distract from the real challenges facing schools, such as underfunding, teacher recruitment and providing for pupils with special educational needs.
Continue reading...Apple disputing tests by watchdog that showed radio frequency exposure was higher than permitted
Apple is facing a ban on the sale and potential recall of its iPhone 12 in France, as the US company contests a report that the smartphone exceeds radio frequency exposure limits by the nation’s regulator.
Apple said on Wednesday its iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global radiation standards, disputing tests by the French ANFR watchdog that said the model emits more electromagnetic waves susceptible to be absorbed by the body than permitted.
Continue reading...Apple shares fall as local government and state-owned firms latest to face restrictions on devices at work
China’s government has reportedly expanded its ban of iPhones to local government workers and state-owned companies, a day after it emerged central government employees were forbidden from bringing the devices to work.
Several agencies had begun instructing employees not to bring iPhones to work and the ban was expected to be further extended, Bloomberg reported. Nikkei reported at least one state-owned company had told its employees that anyone working with trade secrets could not bring their iPhones, Apple Watches or AirPods into work from next month.
Continue reading...Device launched by Steve Jobs in 2007 with promise to ‘reinvent the phone’ sells for 300 times original price
A 2007 Apple iPhone has been sold at auction for $190,372.80 (£145,416) – 300 times its original sale price.
The 4GB model , originally bought for $599, was still in its factory wrapping and was in exceptional condition, the auction listing said. The auctioneer LCG Auctions described the device as a “popular high-end collectible” and “exceedingly rare”.
Continue reading...Parents and schools across Greystones adopt voluntary ‘no-smartphone code’ in bid to curb peer pressure
On the principle of strength in numbers, parents in the Irish town of Greystones have banded together to collectively tell their children they cannot have a smartphone until secondary school.
Parents’ associations across the district’s eight primary schools have adopted a no-smartphone code to present a united front against children’s lobbying.
Continue reading...In test of Australia’s three networks, Open Signal finds Telstra has most consistent user experience overall
Telstra may be Australia’s largest 5G network but Optus fares better for overall network availability and Vodafone leads for 5G availability, according to Open Signal’s latest review of the country’s three mobile networks.
Analyst firm Open Signal tested the three networks across the country in city and regional locations for three months from January to March this year.
Continue reading...Citizen Lab says victims’ phones infected after being sent a iCloud calendar invitation in a ‘zero-click’ attack
Security experts have warned about the emergence of previously unknown spyware with hacking capabilities comparable to NSO Group’s Pegasus that has already been used by clients to target journalists, political opposition figures and an employee of an NGO.
Researchers at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School said the spyware, which is made by an Israeli company called QuaDream, infected some victims’ phones by sending an iCloud calendar invitation to mobile users from operators of the spyware, who are likely to be government clients. Victims were not notified of the calendar invitations because they were sent for events logged in the past, making them invisible to the targets of the hacking. Such attacks are known as “zero-click” because users of the mobile phone do not have to click on any malicious link or take any action in order to be infected.
Continue reading...Officers on horseback deployed to reduce use of phones by motorist; driver faces £200 fine and six points on licence
Two mounted police officers have chased down a man spotted holding his mobile phone while driving.
Officers on horses have been deployed across the UK in order to reduce the number of people using a phone while at the wheel. Avon and Somerset police are involved in the enforcement operation led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) over the next three weeks.
Continue reading...Call for more personalised approach on back of broader efforts to build deeper relationships with families
Personalised text messages to parents could be used to help improve school attendance rates, as teachers struggle to re-engage children and their families after the disruption of Covid, according to experts.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said there was a “national persistent truancy crisis” in England, with significantly more children now missing lessons compared with before the pandemic.
Continue reading...Companies facing backlash amid warning of mid-contract price rises of up to 17% during cost of living crisis
Britain’s telecoms regulator is being urged to intervene over concerns that mobile and broadband operators are “lining their pockets” with £2.2bn of above-inflation price rises during the cost of living crisis.
While ministers have urged employees to show pay restraint, the mobile phone and broadband firms are facing a consumer backlash as they announce record price increases.
Continue reading...Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou, from which many workers have fled, now under seven-day Covid lockdown
Chinese authorities have announced a seven-day coronavirus lockdown in the area around the world’s largest iPhone factory, stoking concern that production will be severely curtailed ahead of the Christmas period.
Foxconn’s plant in Zhengzhou, which employs about 200,000 people, produces the majority of Apple’s new phones, including the new iPhone 14.
Continue reading...We may never know just what happened with Liz Truss’s mobile, but it’s clear that ministers need to up their security game
It is no longer news to point out that a mobile phone, if hacked, can be the ultimate tool for surveillance. But the question is whether it is a surprise to British politicians – and whether they are using their devices sensibly or carelessly.
We will almost certainly never know precisely what happened to Liz Truss’s phone. The then foreign secretary had to abruptly drop her main number and take up a new, government-issued handset in the summer, just as it emerged she was likely to be the next prime minister after Boris Johnson.
Continue reading...Apple will be forced to change charger after EU votes to use USB-C connectors
The European parliament has voted to introduce a single charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras by 2024 in a move that presents difficulties for Apple, whose iPhones use a different power connector.
The vote confirms an earlier agreement among EU institutions and will make USB-C connectors used by Android-based devices the EU standard, forcing Apple to change its charging port for its devices.
Continue reading...