According to Cheddar, which cites people familiar with the talks, the deal is closed to being finalised and while a price hasnt been confirmed, one source suggested that it would be at least $2bn (£1.52bn).

AppNexus, which recently launched a new product offering 100 per cent viewability guaranteed, has consistently described itself as “the worlds largest independent marketplace for digital advertising”. This deal could potentially end that, but would also see AT&T establish itself as a potential challenger to Google and Facebook when it comes to online advertising.

While neither AT&T nor AppNexus have commented on reports of the acquisition, Randal Stephenson, CEO of AT&T, told CNBC last week that the company was in the process of establishing a “significant advertising platform” and was planning to announce at least on other acquisition “in the coming weeks to demonstrate our commitment to that.”

AT&Ts current advertising business is led by Brian Lesser, former CEO of GroupM North America, who joined the telco in October 2017. Lesser also previously sat on the board of AppNexus, and AT&T is already a significant customer of the ad tech firm.

Rumours about an AppNexus IPO have often circulated in the past, with the firm reportedly considering an initial offering in early 2017 but backing out of the process. The New York-based firm has raised roughly $344m in private funding since it was founded in 2007, and is “very, very financially healthy”, according to CEO Brian OKelly.

The post AT&T reportedly considering acquisition of AppNexus appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

Lord Adonis has written to the telcoms regulator Ofcom, who carried out the study, urging it to take action on the issue, which also found that 1m UK homes have poor broadband access, and large parts of the UK still have no 4G coverage.

Lord Adonis has criticised the UKs mobile and broadband services in the past, having singled out mobile operators in October when he launched a public consultation in the general state of UK infrastructure. Now, he has called for Ofcom and the government to “put all options on the table” to deal with coverage black spots, including possible legal and regulatory changes.

“In an age when when access to a mobile signal is regarded as a must-have, it is deplorable that even in areas previously considered to have strong coverage, operators are still delivering such poor services that customers can struggle to make a quick phone call,” said Lord Adonis.

“It demonstrates the need for urgent and radical action to tackle this issue immediately, ahead of new mobile spectrum being auctioned and 5G technology being rolled out.”

Matt Hancock, minister for digital, agreed with Lord Adonis assessment, saying that there was a “clear need” for rapid improvements to mobile coverage.

“Weve recently removed outdated restictions, giving mobile operators more freedom to improve their networks including hard-to-reach rural areas,” said Hancock. “But the industry needs to play its part too through continued investment and improvement in their networks, making sure that customers are not paying for services they dont receive.”

The post UK body calls for radical improvement to mobile and broadband services appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

Triangle enables users to monitor their data usage and, for participating networks, check their remaining balance. Perhaps the biggest draw, though, is the Data Saver feature for controlling unwanted background data. Users can block individual apps from using data, or allow usage for a limited period of 10 or 30 minutes.

For users on partner networks – initially the Philippines Globe and Smart – there is also a rewards element. Users will be offered extra data allowance in exchange for using or installing particular apps, or given the chance to download and try new apps for free, without using any of their allowance.

The choice of the Phillipines as a test market is telling – if Triangle takes off, its most likely to be in emerging markets, where data is often expensive and paid on a per-megabyte basis.

Theres no word of a further rollout – or even an official announcement of this launch – suggesting that, at least for now, Triangle is firmly in the testing stage.

The post Google tests Triangle, an app for managing mobile data appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

In the summer of 2015, Staylittle experienced a total communication black-out, leaving the village almost completely cut off from the outside world for nearly two weeks. All that remained was a single working landline in the local Post Office, with the nearest town around 8 miles away.

In response, O2 installed a temporary 2G mobile mast in the village, bringing mobile connectivity for voice calls and texts to the community for the first time. Since then, the UK operator has worked with local authorities to install a permanent 4G mobile mast, providing coverage for the entire village.

“Having mobile internet access has already made a big difference to the local community,” said Becky Williams, a Staylittle resident who runs Kids Closet, a children’s clothing company. “We’re all very happy to be able to connect online with our family and friends – a luxury that is often taken for granted elsewhere in the UK.”

The installation is part of O2’s commitment to improving rural network coverage. The firm is investing over £2m a day to develop its network across the UK, and now boasts 96.8 per cent 4G coverage for the UK. By the end of the year, another 395 Welsh villages in remote areas will be provided with 4G mobile masts to strengthen their signal.

“At O2, we pride ourselves on listening to customers, but we also listen to communities who have yet to feel part of a digitally connected Britiain,” said Brendan O’Reilly, chief technology officer at O2. “Ever since we heard Staylittle’s story in 2015, we’ve worked tirelessly to get its residents to this point – where they can make calls and access the internet and social media on the move just like most of the country.”

“It’s a huge, positive change for the village – a chance that is guaranteed to improve the lives of those living in Staylittle, who can no go online with confidence, and connect with friends, family and colleagues through their mobile,” said Russell George, Assembly

The post One of UK’s most remote villages gets 4G for the first time appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

According to an Ovum study, commissioned by Synchronoss, despite the number of brands that consider telecoms operators to be better, 48 per cent of brands are not aware of operators’ ability to even offer these insights.

“We’ve known for years that operators are sitting on a gold mine of contextual customer data. Studies have estimated the market to be worth potentially billions of dollars. But no one’s looked at this from the brand’s perspective – and it’s good news for telcos,” said Ted Woodbery, VP of comms & media marketing at Synchronoss. “More than two thirds of brands surveyed value it above everything but social network data. Of those brands that weren’t previously aware that telco data existed, 92 per cent are willing to explore commercial partnerships with operators once elucidated.”

The study, of more than 300 brands from the US, UK and France, also found that Google (59 per cent) and Facebook (52 per cent) remain the dominant brand partners for data insights and digital advertising – with only 26 per cent of brands currently partnering with telcos that specialise in digital advertising. Overall, however, only 22 per cent of brands said they were completely satisfied by the depth and quality of insights currently provided.

In addition, most brand executives expect their firm’s total annual digital advertising budgets to increase over the next two years. 21 per cent of respondents said they expected this spend to increase by more than 25 per cent, while four per cent predicted increases of more than 50 per cent. Furthermore, 60 per cent of respondents said they would pay more for data insights and analytics that support enhanced targeting.

The post Telecoms operators provide better data than Google, Apple, Samsung appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

Sky is marketing its Sky Mobile virtual network, which operates on O2s network infrastructure, as “the UKs most flexible mobile service”, with customers able to roll over unused data each month for up to three years.

According to Sky, 46,000 customers have already pre-registered for the service, largely thanks to the company offering existing Sky TV customers free UK calls and texts with any Sky Mobile data plan.

“With £2bn being wasted each year on unused data in the UK, Sky Mobile customers will only pay for what they use,” said Stephen van Rooyen, UK and Ireland chief executive for Sky Mobile. “Plus were giving Sky TV customers a fantastic offer which will allow them to get even more value from their subscriptions.”

The service has three different data plans, ranging from 1GB to 5GB a month, and customers are able to freely switch between plans each month to suit their changing needs. Non-Sky TV customers can add on unlimited calls and texts for £10 per month, or pay on a pay-as-you-go basis.

In another feature for existing Sky+ subscribers, Sky Mobile users will be able to access TV recordings on their Sky Box via their mobile, creating playlists, streaming content or even downloading shows via wi-fi.

“Skys first mobile offering is very competitive, as long as youre already a Sky TV customer,” said Ewan Taylor-Gibson, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com. “Skys SIM-only set up is distinctly comparable to Giffgaffs. Both piggyback off O2s network and both allow customers to dial their plans up or down depending on their usage. Mobile users love the kind of flexibility – it shouldnt be underestimated as a perk.

“By putting data first, with minutes and texts as an add on, Sky is catering to our ever-increasing appetite for megabytes. But if the TV giant really wants to appeal to data hungry consumers it may have to offer bigger data bundles. However, early interest from 46,000 customers is certainly a head-start out of the blocks.”

“Skys hook is allowing customers to piggyback data that went unused at the end of each month and store it for up to three years,” said Dan Howdle, director of communications at Cable.co.uk. “No mobile provider has ever offered this before. It shows a keen understanding of how customers consumers their data – some months they use a lot, others they use very little.

“This flexibility should allow consumers to choose a lower data tariff on the basis of rolling over data they dont use during lower-usage months – and that will save them money. Perhaps best of all, though, it may force the hand of other UK providers to follow suit – and that would be good for everybody.”

The post Sky Goes Quad Play with Mobile Network Launch appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

Three has abandoned its ad blocking plans, following a one-week trial in June.

The UK mobile network operator had been working with Shine, which has been pushing its network-level ad blocking tech to operators around the globe since it first appeared last May.

Three marketing director Tom Malleschitz, speaking at Ad:tech in London, said “we don’t believe ad blocking is the solution”, despite the popularity of the June trial with customers, with 86 per cent saying they were satisfied in a survey.

The reason for the change of plans, then, seems to be the impact on Threes relationship with other brands. Malleschitz admitted the operators ad blocking announcement “pissed off” Google and Ofcom, among others, and it faced threats of “we want to ban all your customers on sites”.

The company has performed an about-turn in its approach, saying it wants to apply its marketing slogan when stuff sucks, make it right to the problems with digital advertising. Malleschitz emphasised the operators wealth of customer data for advertisers – which he described as “much better” than the likes of Google and Facebook, Marketing Week reported – and said it wanted to work, both with advertisers using its platform and as an advertiser itself, to create “something that is inspiring and relevant”.

This is, at least, in line with Threes originally stated aim with ad blocking. Back in February, a Three spokesperson told Mobile Marketing that its plans grew out of a desire to provide a better mobile experience for its customers, by delivering ads that are higher quality and less intrusive.

It is less clear how the operator now intends to tackle its other argument at the time, that its customers would save around 20 per cent of their data allowance each month by blocking ads.

The post Three Drops Ad Blocking Plans, Admits it Pissed Off Google appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

Now the countrys other biggest telecoms player has followed suit, as AT&T has agreed to pay $85bn (£69.5bn) to acquire media giant Time Warner.

Among Time Warners many media assets are Warner Bros Entertainment, HBO, CNN, The CW, Cartoon Network and DC Comics. The acquisition is intended to combine this vast library of content and ability to create new premium content that connects with audiences around the world with AT&Ts leading scale in TV, mobile and broadband distribution, which currently have over a combined subscriber base of over 100m.

“This is a perfect match of two companies with complementary strengths who can bring a fresh approach to how the media and communications industry works for customers, content creators, distributors and advertisers,” said AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. “Premium content always wins. It has been true on the big screen, the TV screen and now it’s proving true on the mobile screen. We’ll have the world’s best premium content with the networks to deliver it to every screen. A big customer pain point is paying for content once but not being able to access it on any device, anywhere. Our goal is to solve that. We intend to give customers unmatched choice, quality, value and experiences that will define the future of media and communications.”

The plan, then, seems to be bringing more TV and film content direct to mobile. As the companys announcement puts it: the future of video is mobile and the future of mobile is video.

This is a space Time Warner has already taken steps into, perhaps most notably with its HBO Go and HBO Now streaming services. In a February earnings call, Time Warner revealed HBO Now had just 800,000 subscribers. That number is dwarfed by services like Netflix, with 47m subscribers in the US alone, but its possible that a unified strategy bringing together content from all the groups composite parts might be able to turn those fortunes around.

The post AT&Ts $85bn Time Warner Acquisition to Bring TV and Mobile Closer Together appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

The service is planned for a launch later this year, and has already secured content from online video publishers including Rooster Teeth, Crunchyroll and NBCs online brand Seeso. Altogether, the channels boast a combined audience of tens of millions on YouTube and more than a million paying subscribers.

The VRV service will be run by Ellation, an online video firm backed by Otter Media, a joint venture between AT&T and the Chernin Group that the two companies formed after a failed bid for Hulu in 2013.

VRV believes that by gathering all these services in one place, it can build a new web and mobile media brand that consumers will be willing to pay for.

“We are bringing together a bunch of brands that give us critical mass,” said Tom Pickett, CEO of Ellation, which also plans on commissioning original programming for the service.

However, the subscription streaming market is an increasingly crowded one, and with much of its content already available for free, it may face an uphill struggle.

The post AT&T Strengthens Paid Streaming Service with Partnerships appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.

The new technology means Vodafone can block hundreds of thousands of nuisance and fraudulent calls a day, covering everything from false PPI offers to missed call scams to expensive numbers promising bogus offers or prizes.

Customers do not need to do anything to benefit from the technology, and will be unaware that calls have been blocked, since the system works discreetly at a network level.

Previously, Vodafone was able to prevent customers from unintentionally returning calls to fraudulent numbers, but could not block them in the first place.

The new system may still let some unwanted calls through, but during tests it was able to block over 425,000 nuisance and scam calls in one day alone. Over a week of testing, nuisance call attempts dropped to under 1000 as perpetrators realised their calls were being automatically blocked.

“Fraudulent calls are a scourge on society, inflicting great anxiety for victims,” said Mark Hughes, head of corporate security for Vodafone UK. “The protection of our customers is paramount and we have been investing heavily in our network and technology to help stamp out this practice.  We will continue to evolve the technology as well as work with industry bodies and the regulator to ensure we keep one step ahead of criminals.”

The post Vodafone Blocks Scam Calls on Network Level appeared first on Mobile Marketing Magazine.