Telecoms giants, Sky, BT, TalkTalk and Virgin Media O2, have agreed to set new measures aimed at safeguarding the most vulnerable individuals.

During the ongoing upgrade of phone lines to a new digital network, the pledge addresses concerns over serious incidents impacting telecare users, specifically the elderly and disabled who depend on remote support systems.

According to the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the move is a “positive step” by the industry to make sure safety continues to be at the heart of the nationwide switchover.

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Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said: “It is absolutely right that the most vulnerable people in our society should feel safe, secure and have complete confidence in the services provided to them.

“That’s why I have brought our biggest network providers and industry regulator to the table, agreeing a cast iron set of principles to reassure people and put their minds at ease.

“The recent issues families have had to endure are unacceptable and today’s agreements will help to protect consumers in future.”

Other agreed measures include a commitment by providers not to force customers onto the new network until robust protections are in place.

The government will also continue to work with the telecare sector to reduce risk for users during the digital transition, it said.

Telecoms Minister, Sir John Whittingdale, continued: “These commitments are a promise to the most vulnerable people in our society – we will leave no stone unturned in making your safety and security the number one priority for our telephone providers.

“When people need help, they should have every confidence that the services provided to them will get them the assistance they need, and I am clear that recent failings must never happen again.”

He concluded: “It is important we have a telecoms networks fit for the modern age and it’s right the technology is updated to keep pace with the demand we place on it, but in modernising the network providers must also work closely with customers to understand their needs, particularly the most vulnerable customers.”

The news comes as Community Fibre recently called out BT and Virgin Media for “stifling” and “confusing” customers, making it harder for them to leave and join other service providers.

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TalkTalk Business has named Ruth Kennedy as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Kennedy joined the telecoms business as Managing Director in March this year, having held a raft of senior positions across commercial, operations and sales in TalkTalk’s Wholesale and Group Business Units since 2011.

According to the company, Kennedy’s focus will now be optimising operations, driving product innovations and delivering “exceptional” customer experience in a bid to support business growth.

“I’m delighted to become CEO and to continue our mission to support thousands of UK businesses – from SMEs to large enterprises – with fantastic connectivity, affordable prices and outstanding service,” Kennedy said.

“We’re a people-led business and we will continue to go above and beyond to keep our customers connected, making connectivity straightforward and being a valued partner to the businesses we serve.”

TalkTalk Group CEO Tristia Harrison added: “I would like to extend my congratulations to Ruth on her appointment as CEO of TalkTalk Business.

“She has done a fantastic job in leading the business to its record high customer satisfaction and is held in extremely high regard not only at TalkTalk but across the telecommunications industry as a whole.

“This is very exciting news for TalkTalk Business and its customers, and I have no doubt that under her leadership, the business will continue to make considerable strides.”

Under Kennedy’s helm as Managing Director, TalkTalk Business has also signed a number of major contracts, been newly named as an approved supplier on a key public sector framework and further.

It has also strengthened its partnership with global technology firm Cisco, having recently been certified as a Cisco Premier Integrator in the UK.

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According to a report from TalkTalk, 48 per cent of 13-16-year olds agree that the internet reduces their loneliness, as opposed to just eight per cent who state it makes them feel lonelier. For parents, 26 per cent see the internet as making their children less lonely with 20 per cent believing it makes them feel lonelier.

The survey, which was made up of 2,005 parents and 2,005 13-16-year olds in the UK and carried out by Censuswide, found that 51 per cent of teens have found a solution to their loneliness via technology. Although, more worryingly, 31 per cent of teenage respondents admitted to not having discussed their feelings of loneliness with anyone.

The top four causes of loneliness, according to both parents and teens, were identified as issues relating to money, trust, friendships, and shyness.

“I am heartened to see that technology can, in many cases, help tackle feelings of loneliness in young people. It is also clear that open and regular communication between parents and their teenagers on this topic cannot be underestimated,” said Tristia Harrison, TalkTalk CEO.

“As CEO and a parent of teenage children, I’m proud that TalkTalk has a long history of leading efforts to ensure the internet is a safer place. But as the technology constantly evolves, it presents new issues and challenges. As an industry, we must continually reassess what more we can be doing to understand and mitigate online risks, so our young people have the best possible experience online.”

The research also found that 70 per cent of parents are concerned about their children’s use of technology. However, 37 per cent said they felt ill-equipped or unsure about how to manage the online usage of their teenagers.

Equally, 70 per cent of parents don’t use protection controls and software, while 76 per cent don’t approve the apps and websites their children use and 65 per cent don’t limit the number of hours their teenager spends on the internet.

The research also found that 36 per cent of teens report having experienced a time when technology had a negative effect on them. On the other hand, 67 per cent of parents stated that their child had told them about positive experiences using the technology. Moreover, 33 per cent of parents said that the internet has improved their teenager’s social skills, while 27 per cent think it has helped their children make friends and 19 per cent said it helped their teenager overcome anxieties.

“The research reiterates how teenagers dont differentiate between their online and offline world and they turn to devices to help them feel connected and supported,” said Carolyn Bunting, Internet Matters CEO. “By being in tune with their childs digital life, parents can feel empowered to help them take advantage of all the opportunities that the online world has to offer.

“Having regular, open and honest conversations and getting to grips with the tech theyre using, is the easiest way for parents to create an effective and positive online environment for their children.”

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TalkTalk has been in talks with Vodafone, O2 and Virgin Media, with hopes of striking a deal with one of the mobile network providers for its own mobile unit in the coming weeks, reports the Financial Times.

The move is a part of a company overhaul under its new management team, led by executive chairman Sir Charles Dunstone and chief executive Tristia Harrison.

TalkTalk first launched its mobile service in 2010, after signing a capacity deal with Vodaphone, but now has plans to return to focusing on being a budget internet provider. It has been discussing a deal with mobile operators that would see it sell their SIM cards alongside its broadband packages, and it hope its 913,000 users will be open to switching to the new mobile provider.

As part of a potential deal, TalkTalk is reviewing transferring at least part of its mobile base over to the rival it sells to. However, 25 per cent of its customer base has a broadband and mobile package, while 12 per cent are on deals that include broadband, telephone line, pay-TV and mobile in the same package.

Vodafone, which is one of the companies in talks with TalkTalk, recently introduced its VOXI mobile network. The network is aimed at people aged 25 and under, and places an emphasis on social media usage.

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The attack was carried out using malware known as the Mirai worm, which is spread via compromised computers, and affected TalkTalk, one of the UKs largest broadband providers, as well as the Post Office and KCom, a Hull-based ISP.

Germanys Deutsche Telekom has confirmed that up to 900,000 of its customers lost access to the internet earlier in the week due to the attack. The Post Office has said that 100,000 customers have experienced problems, while KCom estimated that 10,000 customers have had their service disrupted. TalkTalk has confirmed that its services have been affected, but declined to release figures for how many people lost internet access.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but security experts for both Deutsche Telekom and KCom have said that the incident was part of a worldwide effort.

The Mirai worm targets devices using the Linux operating system, which is rare among home computers but often used on broadband routers, and uses them to knock other services offline.

A similar attack was carried out in October on the US-based web domain provider Dyn, which took a number of online services and websites including Amazon, Netflix and Twitter down using IoT devices.

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The partnership sees Sky given full access to Telefónicas 2G, 3G and 4G services, adding to its existing broadband, fixed line and television businesses and transforming the company into a quad-play provider. Sky is currently the UKs most popular triple-play provider, with almost 40 per cent of its customer base using its TV, telephony and broadband services together.

Sky already has an existing mobile TV service, Sky Go, with over 5.5m registered users, 70 live channels and a wide range of On Demand content. However, it has not confirmed whether subscription to Sky Go will form part of its core network proposition.

“As the UKs leading brand for home entertainment and communications, Sky has a proven ability to launch new services, at scale,” said Jeremy Darroch, group chief executive of Sky. “We know our 11.5m customers trust Sky to offer them the best quality and choice and have an appetite to take more from us. Through our partnership with Telefónica UK, we can build on our expertise and exploit the opportunities for growth in the fast-changing mobile sector.”

The deal is likely to have an impact on Skys bid to purchase Telefónicas O2 network, which the firm is currently considering alongside similar offers by Hutchison Whampoa and TalkTalk. If the deal guarantees Sky will retain its mobile virtual network even if O2 is sold, it may well remove itself from the bidding, but this new partnership may also strengthen its prospects in the current three-way fight.

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If Hutchison acquires O2, its combined operations with Three will make it the top operator in the country, overtaking EE, who currently rank as the top by market share.

While an acquisition by Hutchison would reduce the UK mobile network market from four to three operators, Sky and TalkTalks bids represent the growing pressure to become a quad play provider, where one company offers mobile, broadband, television and fixed line services. If BTs current negotiation to acquire EE goes through, they will also enter the quad play market.

“Mergers such as this, and BTs acquisition of EE, show how traditional telecoms operators are seeking out opportunities to horizontally integrate access networks,” said Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud. “In the broader sense it is mobile, fixed-line, wi-fi all coming together to offer complete and cost-effective connectivity packages.

“Such integration of access networks provides a key opportunity to accelerate the decoupling of their service and access divisions. In doing this, operators will be able to deliver any communication service over cellular, IP or wi-fi, based on a customers preference. The separation will allow them to focus on service innovation, similar to competing OTT service providers.”

Hutchisons bid may be strengthened by already owning O2 operations in Ireland, which it acquired in June 2013 for €780m (£584m).

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Acquiring O2 would be a considerable gain for Sky, moving them into the quad play market by adding mobile to its current television, phone and broadband offerings, and allowing it to market heavily based on synergistic savings.

Its likely the bid was spurred on by BTs recent talks with EE, which if successful would make BT a quad play business. Before it decided on a bid for EE, BT was previously considering acquiring O2, the business it sold to Telefonica 10 years ago.

TalkTalk recently partnered with O2, who agreed to host its virtual mobile network after the company left Vodafone. TalkTalk also recently acquired Tescos Blinkbox streaming service and the supermarkets broadband and fixed line businesses, strengthening its own quad play offerings.

As more and more services head towards quad play integration, O2s standalone mobile business becomes less and less attractive for current owners Telefonica, which has likely triggered the acquisition talks.

The post Sky and TalkTalk Join The Scramble to Acquire O2 appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

Vodafone had previously been in talks with Tesco about acquiring the Blinkbox service after Tesco reported it had resulted in a £18.5m loss in 2013.

Last year, Tesco CEO David Lewis confirmed that if a new owner could not be found for the Blinkbox business, it would simply be shut down, labeling the streaming service a “distraction”.

However, the acquisition of Tescos broadband and fixed line services along with Blinkbox comes as a surprise to many, and is likely to be linked to Tescos recent financial difficulties and its efforts to streamline its business. The Blinkbox, broadband and voice services will all be integrated into TalkTalks existing business.

“Since launch TalkTalk TV has demonstrated its popularity with value-seeking customers to become the UKs fastest growing TV service,” said Did Harding, chief executive of TalkTalk. “We are excited about the opportunity that Blinkboxs platform and technology expertise bring, and which will significantly accelerate the development of our TV platform.

“The purchase of Tescos broadband base is another example of TalkTalk leveraging its national network to grow faster. We are excited about the future of quad-play – fixed phone and broadband, TV and mobile – and this acquisition will help to further drive home our value for money advantage.”

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