Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom digs into the IoT market; Kudelski Group revenues slump in H1; Porsche teams up with Apple Music; Telenor completes DNA deal.

Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe

August 21, 2019

2 Min Read
Eurobites: Phone-Paid Services Hit Prime Time in UK

Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: Deutsche Telekom digs into the IoT market; Kudelski Group revenues slump in H1; Porsche teams up with Apple Music; Telenor completes DNA deal.

  • The value of the "phone-paid services" market in the UK -- the market for services, such as online gambling and charity donations that are paid for by smartphone -- rose by 17% in 2018-2019 to £630.9 million (US$765.1 million), according to new research from Analysys Mason. Operator billing was found to be the fastest-growing spending channel, with an increasing number of content providers offering operator billing as an option, backed up by growing consumer confidence in this method of payment.

    • Deutsche Telekom has introduced a new range of pre-activated SIM cards aimed at the Internet of Things market. The SIMs can be used in sensors, trackers and other IoT devices, and throughout the European Union -- particularly useful in the context of pan-European logistics applications. There are a range of pricing options available -- for full details click here.

    • The contracting "legacy" digital TV market is taking its toll on Kudelski Group, the Switzerland-based media content protection specialist. Its half-year financials reveal that revenues are down 6% year-on-year to $400.6 million, while the company recorded a net loss for the period of $20.4 million. Kudelski says it is now attempting to shift its business away from low-margin technology and toward higher-margin "advisory services."

    • Porsche, the iconic German car manufacturer, has teamed up with Apple to bring what it says is the first ever full integration of Apple Music streaming service in any vehicle. Its forthcoming Taycan electric sports car, which hits the showrooms in September, will feature a touchscreen display in the, ahem, "Porsche Advanced Cockpit" that will allow Apple Music subscribers to stream away to their hearts' content, using three-year complimentary in-car data.

    • Norway's Telenor has completed its €1.5 billion ($1.66 billion) acquisition of a controlling interest in Finnish mobile operator DNA. The deal comprised two separate agreements with DNA's two largest shareholders, Finda Telecoms Oy and PHP Holding Oy, which held 28.3% and 25.8% of DNA respectively. (See Eurobites: Telenor Buys DNA for Finnish Foray.)

    • The bosses of Nokia, Telenor and Telia were among the bigwigs meeting this week in Iceland at a gathered called The Nordic CEOs for a Sustainable Future, which sounds a bit like the dullest Marvel comic you could possibly imagine. Rajeev Suri, Sigve Brekke and Johan Dennelind were among the corporate heavy-hitters meeting with the prime ministers of the five Nordic countries to discuss a smorgasbord of issues ranging from climate change to workplace diversity.

      — Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

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About the Author(s)

Paul Rainford

Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading

Paul is based on the Isle of Wight, a rocky outcrop off the English coast that is home only to a colony of technology journalists and several thousand puffins.

He has worked as a writer and copy editor since the age of William Caxton, covering the design industry, D-list celebs, tourism and much, much more.

During the noughties Paul took time out from his page proofs and marker pens to run a small hotel with his other half in the wilds of Exmoor. There he developed a range of skills including carrying cooked breakfasts, lying to unwanted guests and stopping leaks with old towels.

Now back, slightly befuddled, in the world of online journalism, Paul is thoroughly engaged with the modern world, regularly firing up his VHS video recorder and accidentally sending text messages to strangers using a chipped Nokia feature phone.

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