John Lewell

[London, ENGLAND] According to a report from ad agency Young & Rubicam, published Friday, British teenagers make more use of the Internet than their counterparts in the rest of Europe and the United States. The survey found that 57 percent of young people aged 7-16 in the U.K. were already online, while the number of […]

[London, ENGLAND] Mobile Internet developer Macalla Software, of Ireland, announced Friday it has secured US $7.5 million in second round financing to expand its operations worldwide. Among the investors are The Reuters Greenhouse Fund, 3i Group and The Guinness Ulster Bank Equity Fund. Norman Fiore, principal of The Reuters Greenhouse Fund, said that Macalla Software […]

[London, ENGLAND] eSkye.com, the first global beverage network for the drinks industry, announced a major European expansion Thursday. Having formed a European operation a few months ago, eSkye.com says it will commence pilot programs in three countries by the end of the year. J. Smoke Wallin, founder and chief executive of eSkye.com, said that fragmentation […]

[London, ENGLAND] U.S. broadband services provider Covad Communications announced Thursday that its first European investment will be a majority share of Spain’s Loop Telecom. Loop is a full-service broadband provider serving small and medium sized businesses. It has its own backbone network in Spain and expects to be a major player in the DSL market […]

[London, ENGLAND] Global telecoms group Cable & Wireless said Wednesday it plans to put online much of its own purchasing in a company-wide scheme to e-enable its business. Initially, Cable & Wireless is conducting a pilot project in conjunction with e-commerce solutions provider Commerce One and collaborative marketplace software vendor SAPMarkets. It says the project […]

[London, ENGLAND] Many large European companies are rushing headlong into e-business projects without proper justification, American Management Systems (AMS) warned in a report published Wednesday. AMS, an international business and IT consultancy, interviewed 131 senior managers in European companies and found most of them were disappointed with the outcome of their e-business initiatives. Just 14 […]

[London, ENGLAND] Broadband provider United Pan-Europe Communications N.V. announced Tuesday that it has raised US $1.24 billion in cash via an equity injection. Putting in the money are Motorola, Liberty Media, parent company UnitedGlobalCom, funds managed by Capital Research and Management, and clients of Alliance Capital. Mark Schneider, chief executive of UPC, called it “a […]

[London, ENGLAND] Amazon.co.uk claimed Tuesday it has become the first European e-commerce site to reach 2 million customers. The figures make Amazon.co.uk the top e-commerce site in Europe, closely followed by its stable companions Amazon.com and Amazon.de. 2000 has been an intensive growth period for the U.K. site in particular, with an average of 125,000 […]

[London, ENGLAND] In what must be one of the most optimistic European Internet services to date, Zoom.co.uk is enabling shopaholics to buy clothes while on the move using a WAP phone. Making the service possible is a deal with BT’s Genie mobile Internet service, and software developed in conjunction with WAP software specialist Dimon. To […]

[London, ENGLAND] Ericsson and Microsoft officially launched Ericsson Microsoft Mobile Venture AB on Monday, a new mobile Internet company headquartered in Sweden with regional centers around the world. Ericsson owns 70 percent of the new venture; Microsoft 30 percent. Its formation has already been cleared by the European Commission, enabling it to begin operations immediately. […]

[London, ENGLAND] Online equity distribution platform EO announced Friday that Enterprise Service Provider e-go systems is to offer shares via EO’s placement service to raise £10 million (US $14.5 million) from private investors. Shortlisted alongside Orange, Wildfire and Equant for the Most Innovative Service award in the World Communications Awards 2000, e-go bases its offerings […]

[London, ENGLAND] Belgian telecom operator Belgacom announced Friday a partnership with EUTELSAT to launch a new service called Internet Over Satellite. The service, which starts in October, is aimed at ISPs and businesses located in areas where they are poorly served by the wired Internet infrastructure. It will initially offer a 45 Mbps connection on […]