The coronavirus (Covid-19) remains in control of the international news. The impact on the TMT sectors is enormous. Here is a rundown of the international news, classified by sub-topic.
Network traffic is increasing in every segment, from gaming and app downloads to VOD, video conferencing and more. Both traditional managed network traffic (mobile and fixed) is up, as well as all the traffic that constitutes the OTT (internet) segment.
- Steam sets new concurrent user record for the third time in as many weeks
- Vodafone New Zealand voice traffic jumps 70% amid covid-19 lockdown
- Euskaltel maintains national expansion plan, sees data surge
- Moldova mobile data traffic up 29% year-on-year in 2 weeks to 23 March
- Gebruik van WhatsApp in Spanje met 700% gestegen
- AT&T Sees Wi-Fi Calling Jump 76%, Texting 46%
- Microsoft announces Teams for consumers, Skype daily active users up 70% to 40 million
- Comcast says voice and video calls have skyrocketed 212 percent during widespread self-isolation
- Comcast’s Broadband Network Supports Usage Spikes
- Comcast says peak internet traffic up 32% since start of March
- Comcast claims video-on-demand is hitting record highs
- Windstream data traffic up 30% since mid-March
- Video, IM, Texting Drive Mobile During COVID-19 Crisis
- Video conferencing app downloads go through the roof
- Video Streaming to TVs Soared 85% in U.S. in First Three Weeks of March, Nielsen Says
- Italy: TV viewing up 108min a day during Covid-19
- Conviva: Daytime Viewing Up As Much As 43% in March 17-23 Week
- Portugal: TV consumption up 40%
- Report: Global streaming up 20%; Primetime shifts
- Zattoo records 13% increase in viewing time in March
- BBC sees record demand for kids content on iPlayer, BBC Bitesize
- Xumo, Verizon Fios See Big Increases in Video Usage
- Netflix leads on downloads, but YouTube Kids grabs more hours
- Dutch listen to more radio since coronavirus measures
- Voice traffic growth slows in Portugal, still up 34% compared to early March
- Digital News Subscriptions Grow During COVID-19 Crisis
- Coronavirus Disruption Leads to Jump in Cloud Services Use
- Masmovil, Yoigo unveil new health, education and entertainment services
- How Snapchatters are adapting to the COVID-19 health crisis
- Facebook debuts standalone Messenger app on Mac and PC
- Tracking COVID-19’s Impact on Global Internet Performance
- Study: European daytime broadband usage up 65%
- Vodafone says upstream broadband data flows have doubled in some markets
- Eurona satellite internet connections up 60% during lockdown
- Surge in downloads amid coronavirus will see consumer app spending double over five years, report says
- Consumers spent record $23.4 billion on apps in Q1 2020, thanks to being stuck indoors
- Vodafone to add 4 Tbps of capacity to its networks due to COVID-19
- AT&T sees surge in cloud-based VPN usage due to COVID-19
- Cellular network traffic up 10-20%; carriers tell FCC networks are holding - Network operators told the FCC that voice has emerged as the “new killer app”
The rise in traffic, which mostly isn't monetised, prompts operators to speed up the construction of networks, such as 5G and FTTP in particular. Obviously, social distancing limitations put the brakes on this. In the case of 5G, this limitation extends to the organisation of spectrum auctions. This has already led to delays in France and Spain.
- Spain postpones auction of 5G-ready frequencies in 700 MHz band
- Proximus lowers dividend to accelerate investment in fibre roll-out
- Hutchison, HKT, China Mobile to launch 5G service in Hong Kong on 1 April
- New T-Mobile US with combined resources to launch on April 1, 2020
- T-Mobile completes takeover of Sprint, Sievert starts as CEO
- Report: Coronavirus will delay 5G markets
- SK Telecom: 5G subs heavy media users
- French regulator confirms delay to 5G auction
- Telefonica to halt fibre installations until lockdown over - report
Metadata, mainly location data, is much sought after in the quest for the understanding of the spreading of the corona virus. Mobile operators may contribute information on the location of their subscribers, but in the past week mostly the internet platforms were in the news with their own sets of user data.
- In coronavirus fight, oft-criticized Facebook data aids U.S. cities, states
- Pinterest CEO and a team of leading scientists launch a self-reporting COVID-19 tracking app
- Apple CEO Cook Questioned by Senators on Covid-19 Screening App
- Google uses location data to show which places are complying with stay-at-home orders — and which aren’t
- Google Reveals Location Data to Help Public Health Officials
- European coalition to develop “privacy-preserving” tech for contact tracing
As retail stores are forced to close their doors, telecoms retail stores are no exception.
- Swisscom considers reduced hours for employees
- Bouygues Telecom to tap partial unemployment scheme for retail staff
- Veon trading update points to pressure on sales from shop closures, lower roaming
- Hutchison Drei Austria employs staff from closed shops for customer service from home
- Waoo! provides free access to Skidos children's education app as coronavirus shuts schools
- Telia Lithuania donates EUR 100,000 to help fight pandemic
- AT&T offers customers 15 GB extra hotspot data, free delivery
- T-Mobile US to donate up USD 0.5 mln for healthcare workers, families in need
- iliad Group sets up solidarity fund to help very small- and medium-sized subcontractors
- Coronavirus: Orange sets-up 8 million euro crisis fund in Europe, Africa and the Middle East
- Comcast commits $500 million to help its workers affected by coronavirus; top execs donate salary
- FCC approves USD 200 mln covid-19 telehealth programme
- MIDEM 2020 Conference Cancelled, Reboots as Digital Edition
- Hannover Messe cancelled because of coronavirus
- ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit Is Telling Fans Hard Truth: Coronavirus Could Cancel Football Season
- Wimbledon Tennis Tournament Canceled Due to Coronavirus
- Uefa suspends Champions League indefinitely, postpones June play-offs
- LFP dealt further blow as beIN suspends rights payments
- Fox Predicts Return of Sports In 3Q, 4Q
- ‘Morbius,’ ‘Ghostbusters’ Sequel and More Sony Movies Pushed Back to 2021
- ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Release Pushed to December
- Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Wipe Out All of Summer Blockbuster Season?
- Eurovision Sport negotiates archive access with federations
- Edinburgh Festivals Called Off Due to Coronavirus Concerns
- Alternatieve Songfestival live vanuit Studio 21 in Hilversum
- After Coronavirus Cancellation, SXSW Partners With Amazon Prime on Online Festival
- SALTO: A FULL DEPLOYMENT THAT COULD BE POSTPONED UNTIL THE FALL
- BeIN offers entertainment upgrades to offset Covid-19 impact
- HBO unveils free 500-hour streaming plan, incl ‘Sopranos’ & ‘The Wire’
- Megafon offers free access to fitness videos
- Cannes Lions Canceled for 2020
- Amazon to delay Prime Day event due to coronavirus, outlines cloud risks
- ‘Artemis Fowl’ Will Skip Theatrical Release and Debut on Disney Plus
- ‘Black Widow,’ ‘Eternals,’ ‘Indiana Jones 5’ and More Disney Films Get New Release Dates
- China’s Film and TV Production Makes Partial Restart After Coronavirus Hiatus
- WPP cuts awards, reduces top salaries and freezes hiring amid Covid-19 crisis
- Ad giant WPP launches £2bn savings plan as Covid-19 hits business
- UK ad market faces drop of 50% in April
- Fox Corp. Joins Other Media Cos. in Suggesting Pandemic May Affect Results
- RTL Group withdraws outlook for 2020 and dividend proposal for 2019 due to the coronavirus outbreak
- Bouygues Telecom suspends guidance for 2020 due to Covid-19 uncertainty
- Disney unveils raft of pay cuts to deal with Covid-19
- Disney to furlough employees amid coronavirus crisis
- Top Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky Executives to Donate Salary Amid Coronavirus Crisis
- Endeavor Officially Announces Pay Cuts as Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell Forgo Salaries
- IHEARTMEDIA FURLOUGHS EMPLOYEES; CEO BOB PITTMAN GIVES UP $1.5M SALARY FOR REMAINDER OF 2020
- ITV Executive Board Takes 20% Pay Cut During Coronavirus Lockdown
- Dazn to suspend rights fees for cancelled games - report
- Lionsgate Layoffs Hit Feature Film Marketing and Distribution Department
- Cinemark Cuts Employee Wages Temporarily After Coronavirus Closes Theaters
- IATSE Estimates Up to 95% of Its Members Are Out of Work Due to Coronavirus
- Airbnb has reportedly dropped its internal valuation to $26 billion as the coronavirus halts travel worldwide
- National Geographic Society Launches Fund For Journalists Covering COVID-19
- Facebook to invest USD 100 mln more in Journalism Project during coronavirus crisis
- Facebook announces $40 million grant to U.S. small businesses
- Google commits USD 800 mln worth of help during coronavirus oubreak
- SONY LAUNCHES $100M COVID-19 RELIEF FUND, INCLUDING MONEY FOR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
- Jeff Bezos will donate $100 million to help food banks that are facing shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak
- eBay is waiving seller fees for new businesses to help shuttered retailers move online
- Sling TV to donate movie rental profits to purchase healthcare supplies through Good360, Covid-19 response efforts
- Film Academy Donates $6 Million to Support Motion Picture Employees Affected by Coronavirus
From an economic perspective, the crisis has been likened to a war. The impact on several different parameters is larger than that of anything since WW II. The ways in which nations tackle their problems in some cases raises political questions, in terms of solidarity and democracy.
- Macy’s, Kohl’s have about 5 months of cash available putting them at risk from extended closures, analysts say
- J.C. Penney furloughs most of its 90,000 workers as stores remain closed until further notice
- Shipments Of TV Sets Now Projected To Sink By 9% This Year
- These 16 companies are working on coronavirus treatments or vaccines — here’s where things stand
- Europe’s COVID-19 App Attack
- Orbán to rule by decree with new powers to ‘silence critics’
- Centre-right leaders ask Tusk to expel Orban’s Fidesz from EPP
- EU Commission expects deeper recession than in 2009
- CARES Act Telecom Funding Includes $300M for FCC Telehealth, USDA ReConnect Program
- Apple is reportedly worried that people won't have the money to buy new iPhones this year, and it's an ominous sign of what's to come for people's finances
- Foxconn plays down 5G iPhone production claims
- Global mobile phone sales to fall 13% in 2020 on Covid-19 impact - study
- Start-ups cut nearly 4,000 jobs in March as coronavirus impact ripples through tech
- Europe races to rescue its tech industry as start-ups fight for survival
- U.S. Jobless Claims Soar to Once-Unthinkable Record 6.65 Million
- ‘We are writing history, not an economics textbook’, Conte tells Germans
- Evaluating the initial impact of COVID-19 containment measures on economic activity
- OECD portal Tackling coronavirus (COVID-19)
Updates
4 APR 2020
- Updated
