Telecom news

• Omni here and now – a trip down mobile messaging lane

  24-02-2017 13:25
  
  Telecoms.com periodically invites expert third parties to share their views on the industry’s most pressing issues. In this piece Silvio Kutic, founder and CEO of Infobip, looks at the evolving nature of mobile messaging and what this means for operators.
  Let’s dispel the myth that in the past it was easier to reach consumers than it is today. It’s never been easy and there have always been complications, nuances, and best practices that make different approaches necessary at d
  
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• New Poems on the Underground for autumn

  20-10-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Transport for London (TfL) has refreshed its Poems on the Underground for the autumn, with a new selection of classical, contemporary and international works.
  (c) TfL
  The new poets chosen include:Grace Nichols
  Langston Hughe
  Valerie Bloom
  Emily Brontë
  Jaan Kaplinski
  Bernard O’DonoghuePoems on the Underground will round out this year’s 40th anniversary celebrations with a poetry and music event on Saturday 24 October at the Purcell Room in the Southbank Centre. The lineup feature
  
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• The ‘Captain’s Brothel’: a Victorian hotel with its own railway station

  20-10-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  When Victorian Londoners wanted to travel overseas, they could catch a train from central London to the “Captain’s Brothel”, more politely called the Gallions Hotel, where they would board a boat to their destination.The hotel was built in 1881-83 by the London and St Katharine Docks Company after it had secured rights to run trains along the railway line between Tower Bridge and the newly opened Royal Albert Dock. They wanted a hotel here because, in addition to handling cargo
  
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• Virgin Media O2 owners push CMA to reconsider £2bn broadband deal

  20-10-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Liberty Global and Telefónica argue that BT’s acquisition of TalkTalk has materially changed competition in the UK market
  
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• Ambani looks to pull off India’s biggest IPO

  20-10-2026 02:33 via ft.com
  Jio Platforms aims to list at $107bn valuation amid stock market downturn, tougher competition and goading from Elon Musk
  
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• The London Buzz – 19th Oct 2026

  19-10-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Olde London – Piccadilly Circus about 1910
  Today’s London news round-up:
  The homeless man living in front of a London mega-mansion DW
  Stroudley Walk regeneration delivers 82 affordable homes East London Advertiser
  Is an industrial revolution taking place in London? BBC News
  Plans to build almost 1,300 homes on Crowlands Heath Golf Course have moved forward after being approved by councillors in Barking and Dagenham. Romford Recorder
  Greens could fail to win any seats in London at nex
  
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• New skyscraper for the City nearly as tall as The Shard

  19-10-2026 17:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  London’s cluster of tallest buildings could all slip down the rankings as plans for a 70-storey skyscraper, almost as tall as The Shard, are being made. The proposed tower would stand next to The Gherkin on a narrow site occupied by a 1980s office building known as Exchequer Court.
  Exchequer Court
  Amazingly, it still won’t be the tallest tower in the City of London, as the One London skyscraper will be about 10 metres taller than this latest proposal.
  Although the new tower would sta
  
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• Wider pavements and cycle lanes proposed for City’s monument junction

  19-10-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The busy road junction outside Monument tube station could gain new pedestrian crossings, wider pavements and protected cycle lanes under proposals that would also remove the entrances to its disused underground public toilets.
  Monument Junction
  Transport for London (TfL) is consulting on a redesign of the busy City of London junction, including an option to pedestrianise Fish Street Hill and make several crossings wider or more direct.
  Some of the changes are subject to final approval by the Ci
  
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• Tickets Alert: Christmas Eve carols at King’s College, Cambridge

  19-10-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  If you fancy spending Christmas Eve in Cambridge, then the ballot to attend the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College is now open.
  King’s College (c) ianVisits
  King’s College broadcasts two carol services.
  The famous one that goes out on BBC2 in the evening, Carols from King’s, is actually prerecorded a few weeks before the broadcast (sorry for the spoiler), and attendance is limited to college members.
  However, there is a service on Christmas Eve afternoo
  
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• KKR accused by EU of misleading regulators over €22bn telecoms deal

  19-10-2026 13:32 via ft.com
  Private equity group disputes it gave false or misleading information to Brussels as it sought clearance for FiberCop deal
  
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• European telecoms groups join forces to challenge Musk’s Starlink

  19-10-2026 13:22 via ft.com
  Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone to explore joint bid for spectrum to provide mobile satellite coverage
  
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• Three exhibitions at two Tate galleries

  19-10-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A selection of three exhibitions that have opened in recent weeks at the two Tates.
  The 90s: Art and FashionThis exhibition about the 1990s seems curated by someone who either didn’t live through it or was so divorced from reality that they thought the fashion world was the real world.
  It offers a very narrow view of the 1990s, filtered through the glossy magazines of the time, and focuses mainly on the fashion world, with a brief nod to the art world, which was busy putting Britain firmly
  
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• Headphones or a £100 fine? Councils to tackle noisy bus passengers

  19-10-2026 09:45 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Passengers who play music out loud on buses could face fines of up to £100 under new powers granted to local authorities in England.There hadn’t been a specific bylaw banning music on buses (outside London), although existing general noise nuisance laws could be enforced, even if they very rarely were. The new powers that allow the £100 fines come under the Bus Services Act 2025, which lets local transport authorities across England set and enforce their own rules.
  The act incl
  
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• London’s Alleys: Cuthberts Alley, Loughton, IG10

  19-10-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  This tiny and easy to miss alley near Loughton tube station is one of the oldest passageways in the area. In fact, I nearly missed it when wandering up to Epping Forest to visit the “Knives Out church” at High Beech.The alley is older than the church and first appeared in the 1860s, when the area was beginning to be developed with the arrival of Loughton station, as a small unnamed passage from the High Road to Smarts Lane.
  OS map 1872
  OS map 1966
  The reason for the alley’s cre
  
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• The London Buzz – 16th Oct 2026

  16-10-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Olde London – Chiswick High Road around 1910
  Today’s London news round-up:
  A tribunal judge has ruled that management of a children’s hospital school unfairly sacked a senior teacher following a “retaliatory action” for “protected” union rep activities. Camden New Journal
  A London couple have lost a four-year boundary battle over a 48cm “sliver” of land after trying to force their neighbours to demolish the kitchen wall of their £600,00
  
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• Tickets Alert: Tours of UCL’s maps collection

  16-10-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  An opportunity is coming up to explore one of the UK’s last surviving university map libraries and see its collection up close.For the first time, Professor James Cheshire will lead tours of the UCL Map Library as it opens its doors to the public. During this 90-minute visit, James will share stories from his research into the collection for his book ‘The Library of Lost Maps’, which reveals how maps have helped inspire some of the greatest scientific discoveries, but also led
  
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• Free Stanley Kubrick exhibition coming to London

  16-10-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  One of the infamous axe props from The Shining will be the highlight of a free Stanley Kubrick exhibition in London early next year, ahead of the collection being sold at auction.
  Stanley Kubrick, self-portrait, circa 1949. Courtesy of Stanley Kubrick Film Archives
  Featuring props, scripts, equipment, and personal possessions offered directly from the Stanley Kubrick Film Archives, the exhibition will be a preview of the sale but will also be freely open to the public.
  Highlights on display incl
  
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• Starlink spectrum deal piles Elon Musk’s plate ever higher

  16-10-2026 14:15 via ft.com
  Move may be part of a bigger plan but it spells even more capital expenditure at a company already spending beyond its means
  
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• Gainsborough’s landed gentry lose their heads at the National Gallery

  16-10-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  When importing a work of art for an exhibition, a gun import license isn’t usually a concern, but the National Gallery had to consider it for its latest show.The exhibition puts a Gainsborough painting from around 1750 in conversation with a contemporary sculpture made in 1998, inspired by it.
  Thomas Gainsborough’s Mr and Mrs Andrews shows the landlords lording it over their estate in Sudbury, Suffolk, where Gainsborough House is now a museum.
  The painting is unusual for the time, as
  
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• Tickets for London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks go on sale next Friday

  16-10-2026 12:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Tickets for the London Eye’s New Year’s Eve fireworks show will go on sale next Friday, the Mayor of London has announced.Prices have been frozen (a bit like the spectators on the night) at last year’s level.
  The first opportunity to secure a ticket to watch the fireworks in person is when tickets go on sale next Friday (23rd Oct) at midday. A second, smaller batch of tickets will go on sale later this year.
  You must buy a ticket to watch the fireworks in person from the specia
  
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• City of London Police introduce ‘sin bin’ for cyclists who jump red lights

  16-10-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Cyclists who jump red lights in the City of London are being offered a chance to avoid a fine – if they stand in a “sin bin” and watch a road safety film.
  (c) ianVisits
  The scheme will give some offending riders the opportunity to watch a short film about the consequences of their behaviour instead of receiving an immediate fixed penalty notice. However, City of London Police says officers will decide when to offer the option, and cyclists can still be fined.
  The move follows a
  
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• Greater Anglia signs £800m deal to keep commuter trains running into the 2040s

  16-10-2026 09:45 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Greater Anglia has signed an £800 million maintenance support contract that will keep its commuter trains running through to the early 2040s
  (c) Alstom
  The 15-year agreement covers the operator’s entire fleet of 133 five-car Class 720 Aventra trains, supplied by Alstom. The agreement will support around 100 Alstom jobs at Greater Anglia’s Seven Kings depot in east London.
  For Greater Anglia, the agreement confirms long-term maintenance for a train fleet that forms a substantial
  
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• City Hall calls on councils to help tackle London’s patchy mobile coverage

  15-10-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Londoners who complain about poor mobile phone coverage may have less reason to moan in the future, with local councils urged to offer council buildings and land for network equipment.That’s because City Hall has published an analysis of where mobile services fall short, along with steps councils can take to help mobile network operators improve them.
  However, these aren’t mandatory, though suggestions include appointing a dedicated mobile connectivity officer, ensuring property deve
  
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• Tickets Alert: A Christmas Carol performed at the Charles Dickens Museum

  15-10-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  If you want to see A Christmas Carol performed live, the very home where Charles Dickens lived seems like a perfect setting.
  James Swanton
  This year, the exceptionally versatile James Swanton returns to the museum with his one-man version of the story, swiftly and deftly swapping between characters in the blink of an eye. From miserly mutterings to ghostly warnings, he has rather more spirits to keep track of than most people at Christmas.
  With clever lighting and little else, the performance ta
  
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• The London Buzz – 14th Oct 2026

  14-10-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Olde London – The Kingsway subway
  Today’s London news round-up:
  Westminster Council proposes slashing council tax support by up to 30 per cent Fitzrovia News
  Gail’s Bakery, the absolute poster girl for rampant gentrification, will be inviting Brixtonites to nibble on their kimchi, cheddar and gochugaru chili croissants from this Friday Brixton Buzz
  Labour-run Ealing Council has rejected an opposition motion calling for plans for a 1,200-seat temporary Troubadour theatre in Walp
  
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• Lord’s ballot for tickets to watch international cricket now open

  14-10-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  If you fancy watching some international cricket at Lord’s next year, then it’s time to enter their ballot for tickets.There’s no financial commitment at this stage, as the ballot simply enters you in for the opportunity to buy tickets if your name comes up. There’s no commitment either, so if you change your mind, then the tickets are released to other people.
  So if you’re maybe “cricket adjacent” and know someone who would love to attend a match, you c
  
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• National Theatre offering free 7-day trial of its at home streaming service

  14-10-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The National Theatre is offering a free week of theatre at home, with a new seven-day trial giving eligible new subscribers unlimited access to its streaming catalogue.It’s the first time National Theatre at Home has offered a free trial, letting viewers watch productions filmed live on stage with an audience.
  You need a valid payment method to sign up, and the subscription starts automatically after the seven days – so put a note in your diary if you think you might want to cancel.
  
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• Rainham Hall exhibition reveals the making of Sense and Sensibility

  14-10-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A little under 300 years ago, a decent-sized manor house was built east of London, and more recently, it became a film set for the latest movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.And, showing the sort of financial prudence Elinor Dashwood might approve of, the National Trust has followed Rainham Hall’s spell as a film set with an exhibition revealing how it was done.
  An exhibition dotted around the house mixes costumes and props from the film, but what makes it more in
  
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• Tickets Alert: One week to Bayeux Tapestry Ticket Day

  14-10-2026 12:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  It’s the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, and a timely reminder that the next batch of Bayeux Tapestry tickets will go on sale soon. Quite why the tickets aren’t going on sale today — the actual anniversary — seems a curiously missed opportunity.But, just as the battle lasted nearly all day, modern ticket hunters might need to prepare for their own lengthy campaign. Although this one should involve fewer arrows and more cups of tea as you watch the website&rsq
  
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• Proposed West End pedestrianisation scheme delayed by a year at least

  14-10-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Plans to pedestrianise the wide road between Piccadilly Circus and St James Park appear to have been delayed after an updated consultation pushed back the next stage of works.
  Regent Street St James
  The proposals include making Regent Street St James’s, Waterloo Place and the south side of Piccadilly Circus traffic-free, creating more than 35,000 square metres of new public space in the heart of the capital.
  The plans would also improve junctions, pavements and drainage across Regent Stree
  
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