As the House of Lords begin their debate on whether internet access should be considered a utility, the US Federal Communications Commission has approved a number of rule changes on how ‘broadband…
Moving to the dark side
For as long as I can remember there have always been ‘Mac’ people and ‘PC’ people. I have always been firmly in the latter camp and considering I started my first business…
Freedom of the City of London
Last week I had the honour of becoming a Freeman of the City of London as I joined the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists. The first Freedom was presented in 1237 it…
Does a low tax model work?
I have been interested in the past few months on the increasing publicity around the growing divide in our country between the haves and the have-nots. Well actually the top 1% that…
A truly separate Openreach
The ongoing discussion of Openreach and BT Wholesale combining into one entity seems to be dividing opinion among the industry. My personal view is one that is shared with TalkTalk’s Dido Harding,…
Reputation is everything
Our industry (telecoms) is one of the most incestuous in world. Our competitors at Fluidata are also our customers and suppliers. This works because business coming from a partner is usually easier…
The machines are listening
A recent article in the Times around Google and a growing number of people who are turning their backs on the business and going ‘Google-Free’ got me thinking as to how much…
Seeing is believing
Last week saw our new video phones being rolled out across our offices in an attempt to improve collaboration between staff. Because of our adoption of virtual desktops for the whole business,…
A chance to meet the Queen
Recently my business was a beneficiary in the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, winning the Innovation category for our work on the Service Exchange Platform. This platform looks to help consolidate networks into…
Amazon want to know everything
A great use of mobile technology is the ability to accept credit card payments on any smart device without all the cumbersome hardware usually associated with point of sale terminals. Great for…
The phone line is dead. Should someone tell BT?
One interesting ‘in the small print’ pieces about BT’s fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology is that if you don’t also have a BT copper phone line then the rental for the…
Working lunch or afternoon beer?
For me that five minutes in the day when I get to leave my desk and grab a sandwich is my opportunity to reflect on my day so far and what tasks…
The Victorians would be appalled by BT’s short-sighted behaviour
I recently completed on a new flat in London. Nothing too fancy, just somewhere I can lay my head during the week, and maybe where I can enjoy some of this property…
Business guru or celeb
They say the media corrupts and feeding the ego of a ‘successful’ entrepreneur is surely one of the worst examples. Ultimately a business founder has a vested interest in making their company…
A wish and a prayer
At a recent awards dinner Dr Mike Lynch spoke about the difficulties in investing in new businesses and supporting innovative and growing companies. Since his departure from Autonomy he has created a…