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Search resuls for: "Ofcom"


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Igor Golovniov | Sopa Images | Lightrocket via Getty ImagesMicrosoft was accused Friday of abusing the dominance of its Azure cloud computing unit to squeeze a — and, in some cases, evaporate — the profit margins of rival cloud platforms in Europe. Under those rules, Microsoft required firms to purchase a Software Assurance license and "mobility rights" if they wanted to deploy their Microsoft software on hosted cloud services offered by rival providers. It also formed the basis of an investigation from the European Commission seeking to determine whether Microsoft's cloud practices are anti-competitive. But the growth of the unnamed cloud vendor's profit margins didn't match Microsoft's, and in fact the competing cloud vendor saw their margins fall from a positive mid-twenties percentage in 2018 to double-digit negative profit margins in 2023. The biggest decline in profit margins for this cloud firm occurred in 2019, the same year Microsoft changed its licensing terms to favor licensing software on Azure, the CISPE said.
Persons: Igor Golovniov, Redmond, Brad Smith, CISPE, Frederic Jenny, Jenny Organizations: Ofcom, Microsoft, Getty, European Union, Software Assurance, Google, Italy's, Big Tech, European Commission, CNBC, Amazon, Windows, ESSEC Business School Locations: Europe, CISPE, Washington, Italy's Aruba, Paris
Britain’s postal service should consider cutting deliveries to five days a week, or even three, from six, the country’s regulator said on Wednesday, drawing resistance from lawmakers and businesses. The Royal Mail, like the U.S. Postal Service, has been increasingly plagued by service issues and financial pressures. Reducing delivery to just three days a week would save the Royal Mail up to 650 million pounds ($830 million) a year, the report found. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose Conservatives hold a majority, said on Wednesday that he remained “absolutely committed” to ensuring that the Royal Mail delivered six days a week.
Persons: , Rishi Sunak Organizations: Royal, U.S . Postal Service, Ofcom, Royal Mail Locations: U.S, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium
London CNN —Royal Mail could ditch its near-daily deliveries of letters as the centuries-old British institution attempts to modernize its service and plug a growing hole in its finances. Ofcom, the UK regulator overseeing the postal service, published proposals to rescue the beleaguered company Wednesday. It said Royal Mail could save as much as £650 million ($828 million) a year if it cut letter deliveries to three days a week from the current six. The number of letters sent via the Royal Mail network had halved since 2011, and financial losses have ballooned. Among its other proposals, Ofcom suggested that Royal Mail could save up to £200 million ($255 million) a year by cutting its letter deliveries down to five days a week, or by extending the time it takes to get mail to customers.
Persons: “ Something’s, ” Melanie Dawes, Kevin Hollinrake, Martin Seidenberg Organizations: London CNN — Royal, Ofcom, Royal Mail, BBC, United, Services, CNN, Royal, International Distribution Services Locations:
AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. The legal age to watch porn in Britain is 18 or over. The regulator described its suggestion on facial age estimation as using AI to analyse a viewer's features. The watchdog said its proposed guidance also included photo identification matching, requiring a user to upload a photo ID such as passport or driving licence to prove their age, and credit chard checks. The regulator said weaker methods such as self-declaration of age, online payment methods that do not require a person to be 18, and disclaimers or warnings, would no longer meet the standards in its new guidance.
Persons: Dado Ruvic, Melanie Dawes, chard, Muvija, Paul Sandle, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, England, of Economic Affairs, Ofcom, Thomson Locations: Britain
REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) has told Britain's antitrust authority its rival Microsoft (MSFT.O) uses business practices that restrict customer choice in the cloud computing market, the second major company to criticise the U.S. tech giant's operations. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into the country’s cloud computing industry in October, following a referral from media regulator Ofcom that highlighted Amazon and Microsoft’s dominance of the market. “To use many of Microsoft’s software products with these other cloud services providers, a customer must purchase a separate license even if they already own the software,” Amazon said. In its own submission to the CMA, Microsoft said Britain's cloud computing market remained competitive. "There are many sources of competition in the cloud market in the UK.
Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Amazon, Martin Coulter, Jane Merriman, Mark Potter Organizations: Microsoft, Hannover Messe, REUTERS, Britain's, Markets Authority, CMA, Ofcom, , Reuters, Google, Oracle, IBM, Thomson Locations: Hanover, Germany
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain proposed new age-check guidance on Tuesday to protect children from accessing pornography online, including a suggestion to use AI-based technology to see if a viewer looks to be of legal age. The legal age to watch porn in Britain is 18 or over. The regulator described its suggestion on facial age estimation as using AI to analyse a viewer's features. The watchdog said its proposed guidance also included photo identification matching, requiring a user to upload a photo ID such as passport or driving licence to prove their age, and credit chard checks. The regulator said weaker methods such as self-declaration of age, online payment methods that do not require a person to be 18, and disclaimers or warnings, would no longer meet the standards in its new guidance.
Persons: Melanie Dawes, chard, Muvija, Paul Sandle, Richard Chang Organizations: England, of Economic Affairs, Ofcom Locations: Britain
LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Britain's government on Friday blocked an Abu Dhabi-backed group from taking ownership of the media group that owns the Telegraph newspaper while its takeover bid is scrutinised by regulators over freedom of expression concerns. The government intervened in the planned deal on Thursday when it asked regulators to examine the deal. On Friday, culture and media minister Lucy Frazer set out an enforcement order preventing any transfer of ownership of the Telegraph Media Group without her permission and also stopping any changes of its structure or senior editorial staff. As well as the right-leaning Telegraph newspaper, the group owns the Spectator magazine. They are up for sale after Lloyds Banking Group in June seized control following a long-running dispute with owners, the Barclay family.
Persons: Lucy Frazer, Barclay, Jeff Zucker, Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Camilla Tominey, Tominey, William Schomberg, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, Ofcom, Spectator, Lloyds Banking Group, IMI, CNN, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Gulf
In 2022, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft's Azure had a combined 70-80% share of Britain's public cloud infrastructure services market, Ofcom said. Such practices directly harmed customers, and were the only significant barrier to competition in Britain’s cloud computing market, the company said. "A lot of our software and cloud services interoperate, and can run on AWS or on Azure as well, so you're not restricted," he said. "If you don't fix this, eventually you will have fewer cloud providers, and then innovation will not really happen, and investments will start shrinking." Asked why Amazon, which boasts a larger share of the cloud market than Microsoft, did not pose a similarly anticompetitive risk, Zavery said AWS consumers were not facing the same restrictions.
Persons: Arnd, Amit Zavery, Microsoft’s, Zavery, , Martin Coulter, Jeffrey Dastin, Kenneth Li Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Reuters, European Union, CMA, Markets Authority, Ofcom, Amazon Web Services, Google, Google Cloud, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Britain, London, New York
London CNN —An entire museum in London is dedicated to celebrating the 500-year-long history of British postal services. Royal Mail, the official postal service of the United Kingdom, cannot deliver letters and parcels on time, according to the country’s communications regulator. Royal Mail has struggled with falling demand for parcel deliveries as hard-pressed consumers cut spending and as a surge in online shopping during the Covid-19 pandemic has faded. “Last year was uniquely challenging for Royal Mail,” the postal and delivery services group said in a statement Monday. It’s the second time in three-and-a-half years that Ofcom has fined Royal Mail for late deliveries.
Persons: , , Ian Strawhorne, King Henry VIII, “ rightsize, hasn’t, Strawhorne Organizations: London CNN, Mail, Ofcom, London, Royal Mail, Royal, International Distributions Services, Stansted Airport, Services Locations: London, United Kingdom, British
Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'It's time for tech firms to step up' detection of illegal content: OfcomGill Whitehead, online safety group director at Ofcom, reveals new tech firm guidance under the U.K.'s online safety act.
Persons: Ofcom Gill Whitehead Organizations: Ofcom
UK focuses on child safety at the start of new online regime
  + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen on smartphone in front of displayed logo of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp and Oculus in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. Ofcom, which gained new powers when the Online Safety Act came into law last month, said children were a key priority. It said its role would be to force firms, such as Facebook and Instagram owner Meta (META.O), to tackle the causes of online harm by making their services safer. Chief Executive Melanie Dawes said Ofcom was wasting no time in setting out how it expected tech firms to protect people from illegal harm online. "Children have told us about the dangers they face, and we're determined to create a safer life online for young people in particular," she said.
Persons: Dado Ruvic, Melanie Dawes, we're, Paul Sandle, Mark Potter Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS, Ofcom, Meta, Thomson
British media watchdog Ofcom on Wednesday issued new guidance to technology platforms requiring them to take tougher action against harmful and illegal content. Ofcom is the chief regulator under Britain's Online Safety Act, with powers to enforce the regulation and levy fines against tech companies. Ofcom outlined what it called new codes of practice for digital platforms, which it wants them to follow in order to limit the harmful and toxic content users — particularly children — encounter online. Beyond this, Ofcom also wants online platforms to take a series of steps to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, fraud, and terrorism. The U.K.'s Online Safety Act has been in the works for the last four years.
Persons: King Charles III, Rocio Concha Organizations: Ofcom, Apple, Microsoft, Britain's, Social, European Union, Digital Services Locations: U.S
Ofcom said it had identified features that made it more difficult for UK businesses to use multiple cloud suppliers. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft had a combined 70-80% share of Britain's public cloud infrastructure services market in 2022, Ofcom said. Microsoft said it was committed to ensuring the UK cloud industry remained innovative and highly competitive. The CMA welcomed the move, saying effective competition in the 7.5 billion pound ($9.1 billion) UK market was essential. Google Vice President Amit Zavery said Ofcom's referral demonstrated the need to create an open cloud market with no vendor lock-in.
Persons: Dan Ridsdale, Edison, Dado Ruvic, Fergal Farragher, Amit Zavery, Yadarisa, Paul Sandle, Foo Yun Chee, Mark Potter, Jan Harvey, Jacqueline Wong, Jane Merriman Organizations: CMA, Microsoft, Ofcom, Amazon Web Services, Google, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Markets, REUTERS, Cloud Infrastructure Services, Amazon, MICROSOFT, Activision Blizzard, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Britain, France, Japan, The Netherlands, South Korea, China, EU, Europe, Bengaluru, London, Brussels
Ofcom said it had identified features that made it more difficult for UK businesses to use multiple cloud suppliers. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft had a combined 70-80% share of Britain's public cloud infrastructure services market in 2022, Ofcom said. Microsoft said it was committed to ensuring the UK cloud industry remained innovative and highly competitive. UK businesses told Ofcom they were concerned it was too difficult to switch or mix and match cloud providers. Google vice president Amit Zavery said Ofcom's referral demonstrated the need to create an open cloud market with no vendor lock-in.
Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ofcom, Fergal Farragher, Amit Zavery, Yadarisa, Paul Sandle, Lincoln, Susan Fenton, Mark Potter, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, CMA, Ofcom, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Google, Markets, AWS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, London
Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUK regulator refers Amazon and Microsoft for a competition probe into cloud computingU.K. regulator Ofcom has raised concerns about competition in the country's cloud computing market, focusing on the dominance of Amazon and Microsoft. CNBC's Arjun Kharpal reports on what happens next.
Persons: CNBC's Arjun Kharpal Organizations: Microsoft, Ofcom
Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUK communication regulator calls for 'fair playing field' in cloud market as Amazon, Microsoft face probeFergal Farragher, consumer policy director at Ofcom, discusses the reasons why the regulator referred Amazon and Microsoft to the U.K. competition watchdog for investigation.
Persons: Fergal Farragher Organizations: Microsoft, Ofcom
LONDON (AP) — Concerns from regulators about the dominance of Amazon and Microsoft in Britain’s cloud computing market have triggered a investigation into the competitiveness of the key industry. The U.K. communications regulator Ofcom said Thursday that its yearlong study of the cloud communications services market found features that could limit competition. Cloud computing uses data centers around the world to store photos and emails or run software. Ofcom asked the U.K. antitrust watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, to take a closer look at the 7.5 billion-pound ($9 billion) cloud market. “We are committed to ensuring the UK cloud industry remains innovative, highly competitive and an accelerator for growth across the economy," Microsoft said in a statement.
Persons: , Fergal Farragher Organizations: Microsoft, Ofcom, Markets Authority, , CMA, Amazon, Google, Web Services
Britain's anti-competition regulators have been tasked with investigating Microsoft and Amazon 's dominance of the cloud computing market. Media watchdog Ofcom on Thursday referred its inquiry for further investigation to the Competition and Markets Authority, kickstarting the process. "So, we're referring the market to the CMA for further scrutiny, to make sure business customers continue to benefit from cloud services." Ofcom is concerned that so-called "hyperscalers" like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are limiting competition in the cloud computing market. Combined, Amazon, Microsoft and Google generate roughly 81% of revenues in the U.K.'s cloud infrastructure services market, according to Ofcom, which estimates the market to be worth £15 billion ($18.2 billion).
Persons: Fergal Farragher Organizations: Ofcom, Microsoft, Media, Competition, Markets Authority, Amazon, CMA, Web Services, Google
London CNN —Microsoft and Amazon could be in hot water over apparently making it difficult for UK customers to use multiple suppliers of vital cloud services. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the country’s antitrust regulator, said Thursday it was launching an investigation into the UK cloud infrastructure services market to determine whether players were engaged in anti-competitive practices. This “cloud infrastructure” forms the foundation for how software applications, such as Gmail and Dropbox, are developed and run. According to Ofcom, last year Microsoft and AWS had a combined market share of 70-80% in the UK cloud infrastructure services market. The report also raised concerns about the software licensing practices of some cloud providers, particularly Microsoft.
Persons: Sarah Cardell Organizations: London CNN, Microsoft, Markets Authority, Amazon Web Services, CMA, Ofcom, European Digital Services, Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, AWS Locations: United Kingdom
Morning Bid: Yen back near 150 as intervention chatter swirls
  + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
Tokyo has not confirmed any such move to support the yen , with both Japan's finance minister and its top currency diplomat making no direct comment. Tokyo last intervened to buy yen in September and October last year, when the currency eventually slumped to a 32-year low of 151.94 per dollar. In Asian hours, the yen was back just below the 150 mark and last at 149.27 per dollar. They continue to sell bonds, sending yields higher with the 10-year Treasury yield at a fresh 16 year peak. The benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond yield also clung to a 10-year high.
Persons: Kim Kyung, Ankur Banerjee, Kevin McCarthy, Edmund Klamann Organizations: National Printing Bureau, Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Ankur, Reuters, U.S . House, Ofcom, Labs, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, United States, U.S, Germany, France, Italy
The Dow turned negative for the year for the first time since June and ended at its lowest level since May 31. Data showed U.S. job openings unexpectedly increased in August, fueling worries about a tight labor market ahead of Friday's key U.S. monthly jobs report. All but one S&P 500 sector - utilities (.SPLRCU) - were lower on the day, led by declines in consumer discretionary (.SPLRCD) and technology (.SPLRCT). Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 28, 2023. The S&P 500 posted one new 52-week high and 63 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 15 new highs and 439 new lows.
Persons: Dow, Rick Meckler, Brendan McDermid, Raphael Bostic, Loretta Mester, advancers, Caroline Valetkevitch, Ankika Biswas, Shashwat Chauhan, Vinay Dwivedi, Maju Samuel, Richard Chang Organizations: Microsoft, Dow, Nasdaq, Federal, Investors, Cherry Lane Investments, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Dow Jones, Atlanta Fed, Cleveland Fed, Reuters, Ofcom, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New Vernon , New Jersey, New York City, U.S, Bengaluru
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 28, 2023. Data showed U.S. job openings unexpectedly increased in August, fueling worries about a tight labor market ahead of Friday's key U.S. monthly jobs report. All but one S&P 500 sector - utilities (.SPLRCU) - were lower on the day, led by declines in consumer discretionary (.SPLRCD) and technology (.SPLRCT). Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said she is open to raising rates again, potentially at the bank's next meeting. While the Dow is down slightly for the year so far, the Nasdaq remains up sharply since Dec. 31 after a rally driven by enthusiasm over artificial intelligence.
Persons: Brendan McDermid, Rick Meckler, Raphael Bostic, Loretta Mester, Dow, Ankika Biswas, Shashwat Chauhan, Vinay Dwivedi, Maju Samuel, Richard Chang Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Microsoft, Major U.S, Federal, Investors, Cherry Lane Investments, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Atlanta Fed, Cleveland Fed, Reuters, Ofcom, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Major, New Vernon , New Jersey, Bengaluru
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 28, 2023. Data showed U.S. job openings unexpectedly increased in August, fueling worries about a tight labor market ahead of Friday's key U.S. monthly jobs report. All but one S&P 500 sector - utilities (.SPLRCU) - were lower on the day, led by more than 2% declines in consumer discretionary (.SPLRCD) and technology (.SPLRCT). Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said she is open to raising rates again, potentially at the bank's next meeting. The S&P 500 posted one new 52-week high and 62 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 13 new highs and 390 new lows.
Persons: Brendan McDermid, Rick Meckler, Raphael Bostic, Loretta Mester, Dow, advancers, Ankika Biswas, Shashwat Chauhan, Vinay Dwivedi, Maju Samuel, Richard Chang Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Microsoft, Dow, Nasdaq, Major U.S, Federal, Data, Investors, Cherry Lane Investments, Dow Jones, Atlanta Fed, Cleveland Fed, Reuters, Ofcom, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Major, New Vernon , New Jersey, Bengaluru
[1/2] 3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Microsoft Azure cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - British media regulator Ofcom will this week push for an antitrust investigation into Amazon (AMZN.O) and Microsoft's (MSFT.O) dominance of the UK's cloud computing market, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Between them, Amazon and Microsoft enjoy a combined market share of 60-70%. Ofcom warned the current state of Britain's cloud computing market made it difficult for some existing customers to bargain for a good deal with their provider. Amazon, Microsoft, the CMA, and Ofcom did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Persons: Dado Ruvic, Martin Coulter, Foo Yun Chee, Matthew Scuffham Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, Ofcom, Google, CMA, Thomson Locations: British
[1/2] 3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the Microsoft Azure cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - British media regulator Ofcom will this week push for an antitrust investigation into Amazon (AMZN.O) and Microsoft's (MSFT.O) dominance of the UK's cloud computing market, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Between them, Amazon and Microsoft enjoy a combined market share of 60-70% of Britain's cloud computing industry. Ofcom warned the current state of Britain's cloud computing market made it difficult for some existing customers to bargain for a good deal with their provider. Both Amazon and Microsoft previously said they would continue working with Ofcom ahead of the publication of its final report.
Persons: Dado Ruvic, Martin Coulter, Foo Yun Chee, Matthew Scuffham, Susan Fenton Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, Ofcom, Google, CMA, Thomson Locations: British, EU, U.S, China
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