Vodafone customers have slammed the network provider as it stopped working this morning, leaving thousands unable to make calls or access the internet.

Despite the company revealing it is aware of the problem and is working to fix it, many have reported losing their connection today.

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A Vodafone spokesperson said: “We’re aware some customers are experiencing intermittent issues using our network. We’re sorry for the inconvenience, our team is working hard to fix the issue and we hope to have it resolved quickly.”

Tracking website Down Detector revealed thousands of complaints from users affected by a range of issues.

However, Vodafone data issues were present right across the UK.

As a result, many customers have taken to social media to complain about the issue. One user said she is “surprised” by the issue as “Vodafone UK is normally reliable and quite a good network. Anyways Vodafone UK will fix the problem”, she added.

Surprised because Vodafone Uk is normally reliable and quite a good network. Anyways Vodafone UK will fix the problem. They need to read some of their customer's comments to Improve their service though too. #Vodafone #UK #VodafoneDown

— AyySweetsThee (@AyySweetsTea9) January 10, 2024

Another user added: “Alarmed that Vodafone seems to be so down that their system can’t text me a security code to log into my account. So it seems to be a lot worse than just their signal being down.”

Alarmed that Vodafone seems to be so down that their system can't text me a security code to log into my account. So it seems to be a lot worse than just their signal being down.

— mralanjohnsmith (@mralanjohnsmith) January 10, 2024

Anyone else on Vodafone/TalkMobile having problems with their signal?

— 2⃣0⃣Elvis2⃣4⃣ (@EJPSarriesAFC) January 10, 2024

Loving Vodafone saying the network is fine but work 3G network is down and I can't do anything on my phone unless I use a Wi-Fi network. How am I supposed to work in these conditions #vodafone

— Elizabeth Patterson (@ellie_pattacake) January 10, 2024

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Samsung has revealed it is likely to see a 30% drop in profits for the last three months of 2023, thanks to a global slump in the demand for consumer electronics.

According to the BBC, the technology giant estimated that its operating profit dropped to £1.76 billion in the period between October and December, representing a 35% difference compared to the same period in 2022.

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However, the £1.76 billion figure is much less than the £2.22 billion expected by technology analysts.

This comes as the demand for electronics were amplified by the Covid-19 lockdowns where consumers purchased new devices to use at home.

However, memory chip prices fell last year amid a build up of large stock due to the pandemic, alongside, slower sales for devices including mobile phones and laptops.

This resulted in Samsung reporting a 77% drop in profits compared to the same period last year.

At the time, the company said: “We are lowering the production of memory chips by a meaningful level, especially that of products with supply secured.”

The news comes as Samsung announced it will unveil its newest Galaxy phones later this month, offering an “all-new mobile experience powered by AI”.

In a news conference in San Jose, California on 17 January 2024, the telecoms giant is set to launch the latest Galaxy innovations, designed to “transform how you live, connect and create.”

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Samsung UK has appointed Deborah Honig as its first-ever Chief Customer Officer.

In her new position at the telecoms giant, Honig will be responsible for delivering an “innovative, customer-first experience” and evolving the company’s overarching brand offering in the UK.

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Honig joins Samsung with extensive global experience at the executive level having worked at several brands including Amazon, Starbucks, Nike and Marks and Spencers, where she was responsible for developing brands and customer propositions and developing strategic partnerships.

Commenting on her appointment, Honig said: “From its rich cultural heritage to the breadth of innovative technology that our customers are using in their daily lives, Samsung is such an exciting brand to help steward and I’m thrilled to be joining the team.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve always put myself in the shoes of our customers to fully appreciate what they want and expect from a brand. I look forward to working with the fantastic team here at Samsung to deepen our connection with our customers, and help them get the most out of their technology and their relationship with us.”

Samsung UK & Ireland President Inha Cho added: “On behalf of Samsung UK, I am thrilled to welcome Deborah as our first UK Chief Customer Officer.

“She brings a wealth of experience from her strategic and commercial leadership roles at a number of world-class companies, and a unique understanding of UK consumers and the retail landscape.”

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Telecoms giant Nokia has signed a new patent cross-license agreement with Honor for an undisclosed sum.

As a result, the agreement covers fundamental inventions in 5G and other cellular technologies for both parties.

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Commenting on the partnership, Nokia Chief Licensing Officer Susanna Martikainen said: “We are delighted to have concluded an amicable patent cross-license agreement with Honor, one of the leading players in the Chinese smartphone market.”

Honor Head of Global Intellectual Property Wenyu Zhou added: “As both 5G SEP holder and implementor, Honor highly respects IP rights and strongly believes that reasonable value of IP is important to the development of the mobile industry.

“The conclusion of the patent cross-license agreement shows Honor’s commitment to innovation to enabling a smart life across all scenarios and all channels, for all people.”

The move marks Nokia’s fourth major litigation-free smartphone agreement over the past 12 months.

According to Martikainen it “highlights once again the strength of Nokia’s patent portfolio and decades-long contributions to cellular standards and other technologies.”

The news comes as Nokia revealed it is no longer expecting to hit its outlook for its 2023 financial full year due to renewal discussions continuing to drag on well into 2024.

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Nokia has revealed it is no longer expecting to hit its outlook for its 2023 financial full year due to renewal discussions continuing to drag on well into 2024.

The telecoms giant which is due to report its fourth quarter and full-year financials on 25 January, has said due to outstanding licence renewals in Nokia Technologies, which is expected to conclude last year, its net sales, comparable operating margin and free cash flow targets for the year won’t be met.

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In a statement, the mobile giant said: “While there have been intense negotiations between the relevant parties and courts around the world have found in Nokia’s favour, the company will prioritise protecting the value of its patent portfolio versus achieving certain timelines for resolution.”

Regarding its Q4 performance net sales “are expected to demonstrate a significant improvement sequentially.”

The company added: “The quarter has proved somewhat more challenging than expected given ongoing customer spending constraints and the recently communicated customer purchasing decision.

“Profitability in Nokia’s networks businesses is however expected to remain solidly within the comparable operating margin assumptions the company had previously communicated.”

The news comes as Nokia recently revealed it has lowered its comparable operating margin target to at least 13% by 2026 compared to a previous figure of 14%.

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Chinese mobile phone brand Huawei has revealed it is “back on track” thanks to a strong ending to 2023.

In a new year message written before 2024, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, Ken Hu claimed the firm’s devices, ICT and cloud divisions performed well last year and expected revenues of 700 billion yuan ($98 billion), compared with 642 billion yuan ($90 billion).

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As a result, he credited the company’s performance to “years of hard work” to “weather the storm”, as it targets “steady and long-term growth” this year.

He said: “Now we’re pretty much back on track. In 2023, we expect to wrap up the year with over 700 billion yuan in revenue.

“Our ICT infrastructure business has remained solid, and results from our device business surpassed expectations. Both our digital power and cloud businesses are growing steadily, and our intelligent automotive solutions have become significantly more competitive.”

Looking forward, Hu revealed Huawei’s cloud business should aim to be “the company’s digital backbone” as he cited an opportunity to facilitate the digital transformation of the industry.

He added: “Our carrier business needs to more effectively support the business success of our customers by helping them boost data traffic, innovate new services, and drive network evolution.”

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Three UK has been accused of profiteering from its planned merger with Vodafone after it paid its Hong Kong-listed owner, CK Hutchinson £2 billion.

According to trade union Unite, the dividend paid to CK Hutchinson, which is a conglomerate of the billionaire Li Ka-Shing owned by Three, is highly profitable as an independent business and could remain sustainable without merging.

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If UK regulators approve the merger, the main competition will be among Virgin Media O2, EE/BT, and Vodafone/Three.

Hutchison 3G claimed the one-time dividend payment followed the £10 billion sale to Cellnex of mobile phone masts across Europe, which included 6,600 UK assets.

However, the deal has been branded as a “clear attack on consumers” by Unite, which claims the dividend payment, shown in the company’s latest accounts, was made months before Three increased some of its contract prices by 14%.

Unite executive head of operations Sarah Carpenter said: “The siphoning of record dividends from Three while crying ‘failing firm’ to push through the harmful Vodafone merger is nothing short of cynical exploitation.

“This deal is a clear attack on consumers, threatening a staggering £300 hike in yearly mobile bills and putting 1,600 jobs on the line while making hollow promises about future investments.”

Carpenter added: “On top of that, entrusting vital blue light contracts to a Chinese state-influenced company raises alarming national security concerns. Unite continues to stand firm against this merger, fighting to protect the interests of workers, consumers, and the broader public.”

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Virgin Media O2 has appointed Rob Orr as its Chief Operating Officer.

Orr, who has been with the telecoms company since 2015 in various positions, succeeds Gareth Turpin who left the business earlier this year.

Instead, Acting CCO Christian Hindennach will now be working with Orr to look after customer service, retail footprint and field teams areas.

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Commenting on his appointment Orr said: “I’m delighted to step into the role of Chief Operations Officer having worked at Virgin Media and now Virgin Media O2 for a number of years.

“My priority is to build on the fantastic DNA we have in this company and give our customers an incredible service – whether that’s in one of our stores, through our customer service agents or from one of our engineers visiting a home.

“We have fantastic networks and a standout team, so I want to ensure we always combine that with a great experience.”

Hindennach added: “Having joined Virgin Media O2 earlier this year, and building on my previous experience at both Sky and Unitymedia in Germany, I’m excited to shape and evolve the services that we offer consumers – whether they are thinking of joining us, have just joined us or have been with us for years.

“Virgin Media O2 has a strong history of being the biggest challenger in the market and I want to use this mentality to drive our commercial momentum and performance while also giving customers the services and experiences they want and expect from us.”

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Online marketplace Etsy has announced a reduction of its workforce by 11%, or 225 jobs, as it faces “very challenging” economic times.

As part of the restructuring, multiple senior executives are set to leave the business, including Chief Marketing Officer, Ryan Scott, who has been with the business since April 2019.

Instead, current Chief Operating Officer, Raina Moskowitz will take responsibility for marketing operations. In a statement, CEO Josh Silverman revealed, Moskowitz will work to drive growth globally by expanding brand consideration and deepening customer trust and loyalty.

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“I’m excited to see Raina leverage her extensive marketing experience from her time with American Express, where she successfully grew share of wallet with their existing customer base while strategically attracting new customers,” he said.

According to Silverman, who thanked Scott for introducing “tens of millions” of new customers to the platform and for “transforming” the brand globally, the lay-offs were a result of sales remaining “flat” for the past two years.

However, Silverman revealed those affected would be paid until at least 2 January 2024.

He said: “We assessed how each team at Etsy mapped against our growth priorities and reviewed every single team member, starting from our most senior levels, to determine how well their roles and skills matched our current and future business needs.”

In its latest results, the company announced a rise in active buyers, with a 4% year-over-year increase, equating to an “all-time high” of 92 million active buyers, it also announced quarterly revenue of £502 million ($636.3 million), an increase of 7% year-on-year.

However, despite this, Silverman said: “At the same time, employee expenses have grown, even as we have introduced significant cost-cutting measures and adjusted or paused hiring plans. This is ultimately not a sustainable trajectory and we must change it.”

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The winners in all 11 categories of the 14th Effective Mobile Marketing Awards were revealed at an Online Awards Ceremony this afternoon. Brands and organisations honoured for their work included Unilever, B&Q, Vodafone Turkey, Fitness AI, Spur and PlugSports. Agencies and tech firms collecting awards for their work included Replug, Yodel Mobile, Moloco, Adjust, Zappar and Moburst.

The Grand Prix Award went to Fitness AI and Replug for an innovative and all-embracing user acquisition campaign. This campaign also took the individual category award for the Most Effective App Install Campaign.

Yodel Mobile picked up two awards for its work with DIY and household retailer, B&Q, for the Most Effective App Store Optimisation Campaign and the Most Effective Use of Data.

For more on the winning entries, head to the Awards Site. Congratulations to all our winners. The full list is below:

Grand Prix
Fitness AI and Replug – Scaling User Acquisition with a Holistic Approach

Most Effective App Advertising Platform
Moloco – Moloco Cloud DSP

Most Effective App Analytics Platform
Adjust – Adjust Suite

Most Effective App Install Campaign
Fitness AI and Replug – Scaling User Acquisition with a Holistic Approach

Most Effective Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Campaign
Countdown and Zappar – Countdown Bricks Farm

Most Effective App Store Optimisation Campaign
B&Q and Yodel Mobile – Leveraging Unconventional ASO Techniques to Drive B&Q Business Success

Most Effective Location Campaign
Vodafone Turkey and Carat – Geotargeting Tailored for Sales Channel Convenience

Most Effective Small Budget Campaign
Hailr – Spur Spiderman: Across The Spiderverse Campaign

Most Effective Use of Data
B&Q and Yodel Mobile – A Data-driven Approach to Driving B&Q Incremental Revenue

Most Effective User Acquisition Platform
Redbox Mobile – Astra by Redbox Mobile: A Revolution in Apple Search Ads UA

Most Effective Influencer Marketing Campaign
PlugSports and Moburst – An Influencer Marketing Slam Dunk!

Most Effective Mobile Advertising Campaign
Unilever, InMobi and PhD – Closeup Voice

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