Eurobites: VMO2 pounded by Ofcom's complaints police

UK converged operator Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has had something of a shocker in the latest roundup of customer complaints compiled by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator. In the complaints survey, which covers the period from July to September last year, VMO2 was on the receiving end of a double knuckle-rapping whammy, with its fixed-line Virgin Media arm being the most complained-about provider across the broadband, landline and pay-TV categories, and its O2 mobile arm sharing the wooden spoon, complaints-wise, with BT Mobile. Last July Ofcom announced it was launching an investigation into Virgin Media's compliance with contract termination and complaints-handling rules following complaints from a number of Virgin customers; the regulator now acknowledges that this could have been a factor in VMO2's poor showing this time around. VMO2 was formed in June 2021 as a 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica.

In other VMO2 news, smartphone-related movement data compiled by its business arm has revealed that 2023 was the year of what the operator calls the "Great Office Return," with 40% of UK companies returning to a five-day office working week. The anonymized data – which is based on connection data between a device and a phone mast – showed that rail commuting trips rose by 2% generally from Q1 to Q4, though London experienced a fall of 9% in the amount of people traveling into the city for work. Slackers.

Spotify, the Swedish-owned music streaming giant, is in celebratory mood as it anticipates what the introduction of the EU's Digital Markets Act in March will mean for its business. In a blog, Spotify says that after years of Apple making life difficult, it will finally be able to tempt its iPhone-based subscribers to make in-app purchases – via specific details of offers and "better-value payment options" – than were previously available to those users. The company will also, it says, no longer have to labor under the around 30% transaction tax imposed by Apple for the privilege of hosting its service in Apple's so-called walled garden. "We'll keep fighting because freedom from gatekeepers means more choice for consumers and positive impact for artists, authors, creators and developers everywhere," thunders the blog. Artists who aren't Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran, however, might have their own views on how Spotify could make a more positive impact – not least on their streaming royalties.

France-based Acome Group has acquired Lynddahl Telecom, a Danish manufacturer of FTTH-friendly ducts and microducts for telcos. Lynddahl notched up more than €20 million (US$21.7 million) in turnover in 2023. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Orange Business has teamed up with Tēnaka, an organization that works to restore marine ecosystems, to help bolster the coral reef restoration initiative in Malaysian waters. Orange's technology will enable specialists at the Yucca lab marine research station to deliver data and images directly to the scientists on dry land. Such images will be analyzed – of course – by an AI algorithm which automatically recognizes and quantifies various species of fish, invertebrates and megafauna in the reefs.

New research from BT shows nearly half of schoolgirls interested in a tech career are driven by a desire to address online harms such as cyber-bullying and privacy concerns. The Digital Heirs research found, depressingly but predictably, that 73% of girls have experienced hate speech online, while 58% have been contacted by a stranger they don't trust.