Eurobites: Openreach plans symmetric gigabit service in 2025

Openreach, the semi-autonomous network access arm of UK operator BT, has announced plans to launch a new symmetric 1Gbit/s broadband tier aimed at those who need to be able to upload large files quickly. The service will only be offered in certain locations designated as "Type C" areas under the partly state-funded Project Gigabit program, says Openreach, and won't be available before April 2025. Any customers signing up to the new symmetric service will be able to use their existing optical network terminal. The cost of the service will be announced in due course, says Openreach.

The UK tax authorities have issued a winding-up order against Lycamobile, the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) popular with low-paid workers wanting to keep in touch with their families overseas using prepaid SIM cards. A winding-up order, or petition, is a legal process that creditors can use against a company that owes them money and is deemed unable to pay its debts. It can result in a company's assets being forcibly sold. As the Guardian reports, several auditors have raised concerns about the lack of transparency in Lycamobile's accounts in the past, not least in the way it treats the application of value-added tax to its bundled services. (See Eurobites: Auditors balk at Lycamobile accounts sign-off.)

Bayobab, a subsidiary of South Africa's MTN, has signed a multi-year agreement with Eutelsat for capacity on Eutelsat's OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, with cellular backhaul for fixed-line services a key focus of the collaboration. The rollout schedule envisages implementation of the additional capacity across the African continent being completed by December 2024; services are already available in four countries.

Kyivstar, VEON's Ukrainian subsidiary, has launched a campaign to raise money for the demining of Ukraine in collaboration with the Come Back Alive Foundation and the Kyiv government. The "We Live Here 2.0" campaign aims to raise a total of 100 million Ukrainian hryvnia (US$2.4 million) to supply minesweepers with Ukrainian-made robotics, vehicles and communications tools. Kyivstar will donate UAH30 million ($240,000) directly to the new initiative to get the ball rolling. According to the Come Back Alive Foundation, approximately 150,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory requires demining.

Spotify, the Sweden-based audio streaming company, is to update its app on Apple devices within the EU to include the prices of its various services in what is just the latest move in a long-running dispute between the two companies, at the heart of which is Spotify's understandable reluctance to continue forking out commission payments to Apple. As Reuters reports, a Spotify statement described the move as "only a small step in the long march towards giving iPhone consumers basic product experiences they expect and deserve in their apps." (See Eurobites: Spotify wants UK to stop Apple's 'outrageous' transaction charges.)