Satellite television broadcaster BSkyB has announced a number of new innovations as it aims to maintain its competitive position in the UK -- Further details have emerged of the broadband service due to be launched in the autumn. It will be delivered in the form of an application that is downloaded to a broadband connected personal computer. The launch will pre-empt the introduction of a similar peer-to-peer service planned by the BBC, which is due to enter a limited public trial in the autumn. It also comes as cable operators are rolling out video-on-demand services in the UK. The Sky Movies broadband service will offer hundreds of films licensed to Sky, which will be available to download and even transfer to a portable device. The Sky Sports service will offer over a thousand video clips, available to over five million subscribers to Sky Sports packages.�It�s just fantastic,� said BSkyB chief executive, saying that the service would offer �high levels of personalisation and recommendation� when it launches in the autumn. Sky is also planning to launch a mobile service that will allow users to remotely program their Sky+ digital video recorder.
The global smartphone market closed 2025 with a story less about recovery and more about transformation. Premium product, ecosystem lock-in, and manufacturing scale are now the forces shaping competition. For business and technology leaders, the latest IDC market study data confirms that smartphones remain a critical indicator of consumer demand, supply chain health, and AI commercialization at the edge. Smartphone Market Development Global smartphone shipments grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in Q4 2025, reaching 336.3 million units and bringing full-year volumes to 1.26 billion units — a modest 1.9 percent annual increase, according to IDC. This smartphone growth emerged despite a memory shortage crisis, tariff volatility, supply chain disruption, and macroeconomic headwinds. What stabilized demand? Two factors: sustained growth in premium devices and strong foldable momentum, combined with accelerated purchases as consumers bought ahead of anticipated price increases. Buyers weren...