John Lewell

[London, ENGLAND] According to a report from research firm ICM, only just over half of the Times Top 1000 companies in the U.K. have systems for either B2C or B2B online transactions. ICM conducted the survey in December 2000 on behalf of interactive consultancy Rubus, and was surprised to find such a low usage level […]

[London, ENGLAND] Hoover’s Online has this week launched four new Web sites in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, each one providing company information in local languages. Hoover’s Online Europe Ltd. is a subsidiary of U.S. business research specialist Hoover’s Inc., whose investors include Time Warner, Media General and NBC. The new sites are part of […]

[London, ENGLAND] European communications company KPNQwest announced Thursday that its 2000 revenues were up 103 percent over those in 1999, while losses also doubled from EUR 69.0 million (US $64 million) to EUR 138.6 million (US $129 million). Anyone getting a sense of déjà vu will recall that Wednesday’s figures from Germany’s T-Online showed revenues […]

[London, ENGLAND] European co-operative purchasing Web site Letsbuyit.com has pulled back from the brink by raising EUR 4 million (US $3.7 million) from investors. However, a Dutch court set a deadline of February 7 for Letsbuyit.com to raise EUR 28 million (US $26 million). This means the company will need substantially more funding, a fact […]

[London, ENGLAND] German Internet service provider T-Online increased its portal revenues sixfold in 2000, despite making a substantial — but less than expected — loss of US $116.5 million. Like the figures indicated by T-Online’s main shareholder Deutsche Telekom on Tuesday, those from the German ISP give new meaning to the term “mixed results.” Group […]

[London, ENGLAND] Swedish airline SAS announced Wednesday it will test a wireless Internet system developed by Seattle-based Tenzing Communications that runs on-board aircraft. Claiming it as a “world’s first,” SAS will also work with Telia Mobile in getting the system up and running. Telia Mobile has already installed networks for wireless services at airports and […]

[London, ENGLAND] Top European phone company and Internet player Deutsche Telekom posted a billion euro (US $942 million) loss for the fourth quarter to the end of December 2000, according to Bloomberg’s analysts. Deutsche Telekom issued what it called a “preliminary indication of the corporate group’s results for the 2000 financial year,” without breaking down […]

[London, ENGLAND] If proof were needed that the Internet has transformed share dealing in the U.K. it is Tuesday’s announcement that The Share Centre is offering real-time dealing to account customers from just £7.50 (US $10.95) minimum. The new, low-cost option in real-time trading undercuts the prices of other online brokers substantially. E*Trade is twice […]

[London, ENGLAND] Art trade portal icollector.com announced Monday it has teamed with eBay’s fine arts division eBay Premier to offer real-time auctions to 300 auction houses worldwide. The new scheme will use eBay’s Live Auctions technology, first introduced in September 2000, making it available to icollector’s network of auction houses. The result, say the partners, […]

[London, ENGLAND] About 11.5 million people use the Internet at home in the U.K., says monitoring company NetValue, an increase of three million during 2000. Women make up 40 percent of home Internet users, having increased their number by 1.28 million to over four and a half million, while so-called “silver surfers” aged 55+ are […]

[London, ENGLAND] Europe’s third largest mobile operator Orange has launched Orange Internet with a range of diary, e-mail, news, messaging, and location-based services. Richard Brennan, Orange executive vice president, called it a new era in wire-free communications. “By taking the content of the Web and delivering it to the phone, Orange aims to provide everyone […]

[London, ENGLAND] Dutch mobile operator KPN Mobile announced Thursday a pan-European Internet portal, a joint venture with Japanese partner NTT DoCoMo and Italian mobile operator Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). The deal will bring NTT DoCoMo’s popular i-mode concept to Europe where it will be a rival to other services based on Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). […]