- Cliff Equity
- Posts
- 📈 Bezos Beams In: Kuiper vs Starlink Showdown
📈 Bezos Beams In: Kuiper vs Starlink Showdown
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:
Bezos Beams In: Kuiper vs Starlink Showdown
Spider Hackers Give M&S the Jitters
Stamp Duty Shakes Up House Prices!
The summary: Amazon’s finally blasting into the space broadband game with Kuiper, hoping to give Starlink a run for its money and beam speedy internet to even the wonkiest Wi-Fi corners of the world.
The details:
Amazon’s joined the space broadband brawl, launching 27 Kuiper satellites from Florida in a belated attempt to match Musk’s Starlink and sprinkle Wi-Fi across the globe – rural dead zones, rejoice.
It’s late to the orbital party, but with a $10bn war chest, Jeff Bezos is banking on Amazon’s cloud clout and gadget know-how to make Kuiper more than just a sky-high hobby.
There's a ticking clock – Amazon must get over 1,600 satellites up by mid-2026 or beg the FCC for a stay of execution; meanwhile, SpaceX is firing off weekly launches like a caffeine-fuelled cannon.
Kuiper’s kit includes budget-friendly satellite dishes the size of a Kindle or vinyl record, proving you don’t need a satellite dish the size of Essex to stream cat videos from space.
Why it matters: Amazon’s finally lobbed its hat (and 27 satellites) into the space-internet ring, hoping to pinch market share from Musk, who’s already blanketed half the planet with Starlink. It’s a classic late-but-loaded move: Bezos is betting that Amazon’s cloud empire and knack for flogging kit to the masses will close the gap. Meanwhile, the space race is no longer about moon landings – it’s about who can beam Netflix to your shed in the Scottish Highlands first.
The summary: Even the nation’s favourite knickers-and-sandwiches shop isn’t safe from cyber-scallywags, giving the whole high street a jolly good reminder to tighten up their digital drawers.
The details:
M&S has been well and truly Spidered – cyber-crims known as Scattered Spider (yes, really) allegedly used ransomware to lock up key systems, leaving online sales in a five-day freeze and gift cards about as useful as a chocolate teapot.
The hacking heist may have crawled in via a third-party supplier, but the fallout’s been direct – £500m shaved off the M&S stock value quicker than you can say “next-day delivery”.
This isn’t your average basement hacker crew – Scattered Spider, a mostly UK/US-based gang, reportedly pinched data as early as February, and appear motivated by a heady mix of money and online bragging rights. Lovely.
Retailers across the UK are now nervously refreshing their inboxes, hoping they’re not next on the spider’s menu. Meanwhile, M&S customers can still shop in-store – just don’t try to return your Percy Pigs in a food hall.
Why it matters: Marks & Sparks getting webbed by cyber-criminals shows even the most buttoned-up British brands aren’t safe from digital daylight robbery. If hackers can ice £500m off a FTSE favourite with a few phishing emails and a dodgy download, the rest of the high street should be sweating like a shopper in a January sale. It’s a reminder that in 2025, your cybersecurity’s got to be sharper than your staff uniforms.
The summary: House prices took a breather in April thanks to new stamp duty rules, but with wages rising, mortgage deals improving, and interest rate cuts on the horizon, the market’s still got plenty of spark left in it!
The details:
Stamp duty shenanigans spook the market – House prices dipped 0.6% in April as buyers scrambled to dodge the new, lower stamp duty thresholds introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Timing, it seems, is everything.
Homes still pricier than last year (just) – Despite the monthly wobble, average prices are still 3.4% higher than a year ago, sitting at a rather sobering £270,752. Cheers to that?
Buyers braced but hopeful – The market’s taken a breather, but rising wages and whispers of interest rate cuts mean it may just stretch its legs again over summer.
Mortgage mayhem (in a good way) – Lenders are duking it out in a mini price war, with sub-4% deals and more 5–10% deposit options on the table—finally, a bit of help for first-time buyers who don’t fancy a lifetime of beans on toast.
Why it matters: House prices are doing the hokey-cokey thanks to tax tweaks and twitchy buyers, leaving both sellers and estate agents clutching their spreadsheets. While April’s dip might look like a wobble, the long-term trend still points upward—just with a few more potholes on the way to property paradise. With mortgage deals getting friendlier and rate cuts on the cards, the housing market might just dust itself off and have another go before year’s end.
Trending stories
How would you rate today's edition: |