Eurobites: TalkTalk debt crisis deepens – report

TalkTalk, the UK broadband provider, has seen discussions with private equity firm Macquarie over the potential sale of a controlling stake in TalkTalk's PlatformX Communications wholesale unit run into the sand, deepening its debt crisis, according to a report in the Sunday Times (paywall applies). TalkTalk faces various financial deadlines, including a revolving credit facility worth £330 million (US$421 million) that needs to be paid off or renegotiated by November. The company, whose retail side has long suffered from complaints about its standard of customer service, was taken private in a deal valuing it at roughly £1.8 billion ($2.2 billion) in late 2020.

EE has come top of the pile in the latest RootMetrics UK Mobile Performance and 5G in Review, winning or sharing every category covered, including the overall RootScore award. This time EE managed to edge past Three to win the best 5G experience category for UK consumers in the first half of 2024. EE's aggregate median download speed of 79.8 Mbit/s was judged to be nearly twice as fast as that of any other operator – Virgin Media O2's equivalent speed was a sluggish 23.3 Mbit/s.

Telent, a UK company specializing in the design and build of critical digital infrastructure, saw its profits from operations double in the last financial year, EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) rising to £27.8 million ($35.4 million). However, turnover was down slightly at £461.5 million ($588.7 million). Telent's client list includes Transport for London, emergency services and traffic systems. The company has also been working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on a new network that will connect 165 remote radio sites situated around 11,000 miles of UK coastline.

ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, has agreed to permanently withdraw its TikTok Lite rewards program from the EU to avoid falling foul of Digital Services Act (DSA). As Reuters reports, the program encouraged users to earn points by watching videos, liking videos and following "creators," sparking concerns about its potential impact on users' – and particularly children's – mental health.

The World Broadband Association (WBBA) has pushed back the deadline to enter its new awards scheme to August 15 to allow more companies to take part. For details of the award categories and submission guidelines, visit the WBBA website. The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Paris on October 8, 2024, which will take place alongside this year's Network X event.