Daily Digest - 22nd November 2005

TeleGeography 22nd November 2005 Thus narrows losses, on the look out for acquisitions UK corporate telco Thus saw a sharp reduction in losses in its fiscal first half of 2005 and said it remained on the lookout for acquisition targets. Thus said pre-tax losses shrunk to GBP8.2 million in the six months to 30 September, from a GBP29 million loss last year, despite a slight dip in sales to GBP176.8 million, due to the sale of a call centre. The operator's broadband customer base grew by more than 30,000 year-on-year to exceed 100,000. Thus said it is monitoring the market for potential takeover targets, following its failed GBP800 million bid for Energis earlier this year.

Ofcom opens fresh attack on rogue-dialling computer fraud Rupert Jones Tuesday November 22, 2005 The Guardian
A fresh crackdown on internet "rogue-dialler" services was announced yesterday following evidence that fraudsters are finding new ways to cheat home-computer users. Thousands of people have seen their phone bills soar after falling victim to the scams, which trick home computers into dialling expensive premium-rate lines - usually beginning with the numbers "09" - and are often activated by closing an unwanted pop-up window. Recently, Icstis, the premium-rate watchdog , said measures already put in place had led to a 95% fall in complaints about such services, prompting it to declare that the problem was effectively at an end. However, Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, said yesterday that some of the fraudsters were beginning to use other numbers in an attempt to evade the tougher regulatory regime - necessitating a new clampdown. The people behind these services are usually based in far-flung locations and have made vast sums from the scams. Dozens of companies have been fined and barred for running rogue-dialler services. The existing "premium rate services" (PRS) regulations apply to diallers using "09" premium-rate or international numbers. But in order to increase consumer protection, Ofcom is now consulting on extending the regime to enable Icstis to take action against all rogue-dialler operators - irrespective of the phone numbers they use or the call charges involved.

Sprint Nextel buys Alamosa unit for $4.3bn Paul Taylor in New York Published: November 21 2005 17:00 | Last updated: November 21 2005 22:43 Sprint Nextel agreed to acquire AirGate PCS, Sprint's largest wireless affiliate, for $4.3bn, ending a legal battle that began when Sprint acquired Nextel Communications for $36bn in August.