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- 📈 £11bn 5G Boost as Vodafone, Three Unite
📈 £11bn 5G Boost as Vodafone, Three Unite
£11.5M Raised: Robots Steal the Show!
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This is Cliff Equity, the UK’s business newsletter that keeps you informed on what’s important in tech, business and finance in less than 5 minutes
In today’s stories:
£11bn 5G Boost as Vodafone, Three Unite
£11.5M Raised: Robots Steal the Show!
AO World Buys musicMagpie: Tech’s New Duo!
The summary: Vodafone and Three’s £15 billion merger aims to create the UK's largest mobile network with budget-friendly deals and a huge 5G boost, all while facing some cheeky competition scrutiny.
The details:
Vodafone and Three UK promise to cap their cheapest mobile plans at a crisp £10 for two years to soothe concerns that their £15 billion merger will hike prices.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is keeping a beady eye on the deal, fretting over reduced competition, but Vodafone and Three argue it’ll benefit everyone, including a juicy £11 billion for 5G upgrades.
To placate regulators, the duo will keep budget-friendly tariffs via SMARTY and Voxi for Now, while also letting smaller virtual providers piggyback on their network.
Despite CMA’s misgivings, Vodafone’s pushing ahead with the merger, bypassing shareholder approval, with a final CMA verdict set for December 7.
Why it matters: The Vodafone-Three merger could shake up the UK mobile market by creating the largest network, but there’s a real worry it might squeeze competition and nudge prices up—cue the regulator’s raised eyebrow. With promises of £10 deals and a hefty £11 billion investment, they’re trying to sweeten the deal like a budget-friendly cuppa. Whether it's a win for consumers or just clever PR remains to be seen, with the CMA playing referee until December 7.
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The summary: Artisan is blazing a trail with AI sales agents poised to outshine humans, backed by millions in funding, top-notch talent, and a bold vision to revolutionise the future of work!
The details:
Artisan, a UK-born startup now in San Francisco, has raised a cheeky $11.5 million to bring AI sales agents that could put your office's human staff to shame.
The company, led by a 23-year-old prodigy, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, and supported by an Oxford PhD and an IBM veteran, is betting on the future of autonomous AI in the workplace – and it might just be winning.
With hundreds of companies already on board and an AI Sales Agent named Ava doing 80% of the heavy lifting, Artisan is gearing up to replace your BDR with a bot (who writes better emails).
Their future? AI agents so smart, they’ll out-think humans in business decisions – Level 5 autonomy, here we come!
Why it matters: Artisan is quietly ushering in an era where your charming sales team might be outshined by an AI that never takes a tea break. With deep-pocketed investors backing them, they’re racing to make AI employees more capable than their human counterparts, and it’s not just tech hype—it’s happening. If they succeed, your next colleague might be a robot who’s not only more efficient but might even write better emails than you!
The summary: AO World is set to scoop up musicMagpie for nearly £10 million, transforming the refurbished tech landscape while bringing a dash of charm and sustainability to the online electricals game!
The details:
AO World, Bolton's online electricals giant, is snapping up Stockport’s musicMagpie for nearly £10 million—quite the bargain compared to its 193p per share IPO days.
Shareholders will pocket 9.07p per share, with the takeover all but certain, though the deal’s still waiting on a nod from the court.
AO's eyeing the booming refurbished tech market, keen to slot musicMagpie’s mobile recommerce into its broader plan to dominate consumer electronics.
With AO's backing, musicMagpie looks to go from “pre-loved” to "prime-time," scaling up and streamlining operations in the tech-savvy, eco-friendly space.
Why it matters: The merger means AO World is gearing up to be a heavyweight in the refurbished tech arena, proving that even online electrical retailers can get in on the sustainability game. For musicMagpie, it’s like trading in a battered old phone for a shiny new model—plenty of potential for growth with a bigger brand backing it. And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to join forces with a name that’s already synonymous with consumer trust and tech-savvy charm?
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