The European Union will require all mobile phones, tablets, and other electronic devices to have a USB-C charging port by the end of 2024, meaning Apple products such as the iPhone and iPad will have to ditch the company’s proprietary Lightning port.
European policymakers have been keen for a single standard for more than a decade, citing significant amounts of electronic waste caused by unused chargers and the inconvenience suffered by Android and iPhone users who need different cables for different devices.
It decided to legislate after becoming frustrated at a lack of progress by the industry to find a compromise.
One charger to rule them all
The new rules cover e-readers, earbuds, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, while laptops will have to be adapted within 40 months of the rules coming into force. Wireless charging is not covered but could be added at a later date.
The new rules will also offer consumers a choice of whether they want a charger when buying a new device. The EU says its new regulations will encourage the re-use of charging equipment, saving consumers €250 million a year, and preventing 11,000 tonnes of electronic waste.
“Today we have made the common charger a reality in Europe,” declared Alex Agius Saliba, European parliament rapporteur on the issue. European consumers were frustrated long with multiple chargers piling up with every new device. Now they will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics.”
The use of USB-C will disproportionately affect Apple, which will either have to create a special edition of its products for Europe, or would be forced to change the design for all markets around the world. Apple has persistently opposed any mandate, arguing that it would lead to a huge amount of electronic waste as consumers dispose of their old Lightning chargers.
All eyes are on Apple right now, as the company has just unveiled its next big iPhone software update, iOS 16. But Apple isn’t the only company with new software to show off, as Google has quietly rolled out its June Feature Drop for Pixel phones – and it comes with some eye-catching improvements of its own.
The headline upgrade is perhaps the improvements to Google’s At a Glance widget, which makes important information glanceable from both your home and lock screen.
The update adds new options for info that can be shown on the lock screen, including a video feed from your Nest Doorbell, air-quality alerts, and a reminder that your flashlight is on.
But that’s not all this update brings. It also allows you to add a shortcut to a screen-shotted vaccine card on your home screen, so that you can bring up proof of your vaccination status with a single tap.
Elsewhere, Google’s Live Translate feature now supports Traditional Chinese, Korean, Dutch, Turkish, and Thai; there are new wallpapers available; and the update lands alongside a Pocket Operator app, which allows you to edit and add sounds to your recorded videos.
There's also the usual plethora of bug fixes and security updates, so even if the new features don’t interest you, the update is worth downloading. It’s already started rolling out, but it won’t be available to everyone immediately, so keep an eye out for an alert on your phone.
Analysis: lock screens are getting upgrades on both iOS and Android
One of the big new features coming in iOS 16 is the ability to fully customize the lock screen and add widgets to it. It’s a big change, but with this Feature Drop, Pixel users are getting a number of new widget-like features right now via the At a Glance update.
These new features follow other recent At a Glance updates which added the likes of earthquake alerts and details of connected Bluetooth devices to the lock screen, so there’s a lot you can see without ever unlocking your phone.
That said, these features are only available to Pixel owners – not the wider Android world, and it sounds like iOS 16 will allow users to add an even wider variety of things to the lock screen.
So this isn’t quite a match for what Apple’s doing, but on the other hand it's available now, whereas iOS 16 probably won’t be released in its final form until around September.
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BT and MTN form strategic alliance in Africa
BT and MTN Business are working together to enhance communications services in Africa. The partnership will see BT’s services and technologies delivered to MTN’s enterprise customers on the continent.
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Amdocs acquires Mycom OSI to boost 5G portfolio
Telco software specialist Amdocs has bought UK-based service assurance SaaS developer Mycom OSI for $188 million. Amdocs said its new acquisition would allow it to offer closed-loop automation to help operator customers deliver scalable 5G.
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KCOM expands fibre footprint and partner ecosystem
Hull-based broadband provider says its full fibre network now reaches 300,000 properties, while it now has more than 150 wholesale partners. Its network extends across Hull into East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.
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Plan.com agrees MVNO deal with BT EE
Plan.com has agreed a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) with BT to bring EE’s 4G and 5G services to customers, including VoLTE and VoWi-Fi. It is Plan.com’s second MVNO agreement, expanding the choice it offers businesses through its platform.
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Greggs ‘rolls’ into the future with IT upgrade
Daisy Corporate Services will deliver SD-WAN, LAN Switching, WiFi and 4G/5G connectivity technology to food retailer Greggs. The upgrade will help Gregg’s 2,100 shops in the UK operate more effectively.
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CityFibre secures £4.9bn financing deal for full fibre rollout
Full fibre altnet CityFibre has confirmed a debt package totalling £4.9 billion that fully funds CityFibre’s rollout to a third of the UK market by 2025. The company says the package is one of Europe’s largest ever full fibre financing.
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Daisy makes acquisition to communicate better
Daisy Communications has acquired IT, mobile, telephony and telematics provider Communicate Better and will integrate the firm’s services into its portfolio. The telematics offering diversifies Daisy’s portfolio and will help it better serve customers.
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Sampath to replace Irwin as Verizon Business CEO
Sowmyanarayan Sampath will become the chief executive of Verizon Business on July 1, replacing Tami Erwin who will remain a strategic advisor until the end of the year. Sampath joined Verizon in 2014 and is currently chief revenue officer of Verizon Business.
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Openreach fibre head joins G.Network chief exec
Kevin Murphy has left his role as managing director for Fibre and Network Delivery at Openreach to become chief executive for G. Network. The full fibre altnet was founded in 2016 and raised £1bn in 2020 to help fund plans to reach 1.3 million premises in London.
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Realme appoints new Europe CEO
Chinese smartphone vendor Realme has named Francis Wong as its the new CEO for Europe. Wong was previously CMO of realme Europe and India and becomes one of the youngest chief executives in the smartphone industry.
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David Willis to lead Ofcom’s spectrum efforts
UK communications watchdog Ofcom has appointed David Willis as its spectrum group director, bringing 30 years of experience to the role. Willis was most recently President of the Communications Research Centre, the Government of Canada's research centre for advanced wireless telecommunications, and has held roles at BlackBerry and Nortel Networks.
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KCOM appoints new chairman
Johan Dennelind is the new chairman of KCOM, replacing Nathan Luckey who will remain on the board of directors. Dennelind was previously chief executive at Nordic operator Telia. Fiona Goldsmith also joins the company’s board.
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Vodafone claims to be UK’s largest full fibre broadband provider
Vodafone says it now has the UK’s largest full fibre footprint, with its service available in eight million homes. BT’s Openreach network accounts for a significant share of this footprint, supplemented by a separate wholesale agreement with CityFibre.
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Former Vodafone exec joins Liberty Global leadership team
Madalina Suceveanu has been appointed to the newly-established role of Managing Director, Mobile & Cloud Technology at Liberty Global, tasked with developing the firm’s tech strategy and investments in mobile and cloud. Suceveanu had previously held senior leadership at Vodafone Group and was CTO at Orange Romania.
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Three officially opens new UK HQ in Reading
Mobile operator Three has officially opened its new UK headquarters in Reading. The operator has combined its two previous sites in the Thames Valley region into a single 117,000 site, with the first staff moving in last year.
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4G remains primary cellular IoT tech
Despite the advent of 5G technology, 4G LTE remains the primary technology for 60% of cellular IoT module models, according to a new study from ABI Research. The report found that 2G and 3G module development had all but ceased, with sales continuing for the next few years, with all eyes on the role 5G will play in the IoT mass market in the coming years.
T-Mobile has launched Voice over 5G (VoNR) in the US, allowing customers to make and receive voice calls over a 5G connection.
The service is only available in two cities – Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah – but wider deployment of the technology will enhance the effectiveness of next-generation networks and reduce reliance on 4G.
If voice traffic can be carried on a standalone 5G (5G SA) network rather than on LTE, then devices don’t need to switch network technologies during calls, meaning applications can benefit from 5G without interruption.
5G FWA broadband
VoNR fulfils the full potential of 5G SA because there is no need for operators to maintain a parallel LTE radio network. Although 4G and 5G are expected to co-exist for some time to come, operators will be able to free up network resources and spectrum for next generation technologies.
The same logic was applied when operators rolled out Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology a decade ago. VoLTE added the ability to carry voice traffic on 4G, improving quality and reducing reliance on 3G.
With VoNR, T-Mobile says customers won’t notice anything different other than that calls might connect quicker than on 4G.
“T-Mobile is setting the pace for providers around the globe as we push the industry forward - now starting to roll out another critical service over 5G,” declared Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile.
“5G is already driving new levels of engagement, transforming how our customers use their smartphones and bringing unprecedented connectivity to areas that desperately need it. And it's just going to get better thanks to the incredible T-Mobile team and our partners who are tirelessly innovating and advancing the capabilities of 5G every day.”
Most early 5G networks relied on non-standalone 5G (5G NSA), which uses new radio technologies but still relies on the underlying 4G core.
5G SA is powered a new virtual, cloud-based core that allows data to be processed closer to the point of collection and enables features like network slicing. This allows for guaranteed speeds, enhanced reliability and ultra-low latency – qualities that will be critical in delivering the most revolutionary of 5G applications.
If you've been thinking about buying the official Google Pixel 6 phone case, you may want to reconsider for the time being, as users are reporting some pretty serious issues in regards to the case's quality. Those include rapid yellowing and warping, while some users claim it doesn't even fit the phone out of the box.
The Verge reports that owners of the Pixel 6 are taking to sites like Reddit and Amazon to share their grievances about the quality of the official case. Some of these posts have gained a good amount of traction, including complaints about the rapid yellowing of the case and Amazon reviews stating the case has become warped.
TechRadar staff writer Hamish Hector hasn't escaped some of these issues, either. As an owner of the official Google Pixel 6 phone case, he writes: "When I bought my Pixel 6 I also ordered the official case and I’ve had them both since just after the phone launched at the end of October last year.
I have the black case and can’t tell if it’s turning yellow or picking up dirt, but it is definitely starting to warp around where the power and volume buttons are. It’s nothing too major right now, but disappointing for sure especially as it’s from the same people that make the phone."
A bad case for a great phone
While we were fans of the Pixel 6 in our review of Google's latest flagship smartphone, citing its affordability and excellent camera as reasons to buy, it's a shame that the official case hasn't been up to the same level of quality.
It's especially disappointing considering the case isn't exactly cheap. At $30 / £25 / around AU$42, it's pricier than unofficial cases that are even sturdier, such as the Caseology Vault, which we've included in our list of the best Google Pixel 6 cases you can buy.
It's worth noting that not every official Google Pixel 6 case will face the issues outlined above. But for the time being, we'd recommend erring on the side of caution and opt for a more reliable unofficial case. Either that, or potentially wait for Google to release an updated version.
However, at present, there's no guarantees as to whether or not the tech giant will plan to release an updated case. We do think Google should consider it, though, especially as the official case carries the Google name and branding. As a company that's no stranger to making high-quality products, we feel it's in its best interests to address the current issues that some Pixel 6 owners are having with the official case.
The Samsung Galaxy S line is made up of largely fantastic phones, but one issue that has long affected them is the use of a different chipset in different parts of the world, with one of those chipsets inevitably being weaker. Now though, it looks like Samsung might finally be addressing that issue.
According to Naver (a South Korean news site), Samsung is creating a "dream team" of around 1000 employees to build a chipset designed specifically for Galaxy smartphones.
Now, this apparently won’t be ready in time for the Samsung Galaxy S23 or even the Galaxy S24, but supposedly the resources required in developing this new chipset means Samsung won’t make Exynos chipsets for those phones, relying purely on Qualcomm Snapdragon ones worldwide.
In other words, every model of the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S24 might have a Snapdragon chipset, rather than some regions getting Snapdragon and others getting a Samsung-made Exynos one, as we’re seeing with the Samsung Galaxy S22 line.
This custom chipset then would apparently be complete in 2025, so possibly in time for the Samsung Galaxy S25. It’s not totally clear whether we’d then see another chipset split with the launch of this, but this isn’t the first we’ve heard of Samsung building a custom chipset.
Around a week earlier another report said similar, noting that the decision was a response to the poor thermal management of both the Exynos 2200 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipsets, which suggests Samsung would look to only offer this custom model once it’s ready.
Of course, this is just a rumor for now, but it’s a promising one. Samsung’s Exynos chipsets tend to perform worse than comparable Snapdragon ones, so a move to Snapdragon everywhere for a couple of years would benefit buyers who are usually lumbered with Exynos.
Then, if this custom chipset is as good as Samsung must be hoping, we might see the Galaxy S25 onwards have a better chipset than any other Android phone.
Analysis: The Exynos difference
You might be wondering how this new chipset will be any different from an Exynos one. After all, Samsung already makes Exynos chipsets and sticks them in its phones. But the difference is that while those are used in Galaxy phones, they’re also offered to other phone makers, so they’re designed to be general purpose.
This new chipset meanwhile would be built from the ground up for Galaxy smartphones, a bit like what Apple does for its A-series chipsets.
Then again, the fact that Samsung’s general-purpose chipsets can’t typically match Qualcomm’s, even when stuck in a Samsung phone, suggests it might be worth keeping your expectations in check.
