Morning Edition 03.10.00

Last week's postponement by the Halifax of its internet banking service caused mutterings of poor customer service and lax project management - but the Guardian brings more concerning news for the bank in the wake of its stalled online offering.

Abbey National's internet arm Cahoot is set to increase the interest rate on its current account to a market leading 7.1 per cent and will offer cash rewards to credit card customers in a bid to derail the Halifax's ongoing efforts and cash in on its rival's delays.

By effectively taking the Halifax's proposed market share, Cahoot is not only consolidating its own position within the e-banking sector, but is sending out a clear message on the importance of meeting deadlines in an aggressive market...

The Guardian also brings news that Orange is emerging from the shadow of former owner Vodafone after its purchase in May by France Telecom. Orange will today announce subscriber figures for the third quarter of 1.1 million bringing the operator into contention for second spot in the race to dominate a competitive UK mobile market.

While achieving second place in this race would be no mean feat for the company, BT is putting up little opposition to safeguard such a deposition. The Times reports that BT's figures for the quarter are expected to show the telco going backwards with subscriber figures down 20,000 on the 670,000 for the previous quarter...

Other news from the competitive world of the mobile phone comes from the labs of Ericsson.

With major telcos all over Europe still reeling from the cost of 3G mobile phone licences and the market still awaiting the first embodiments of the new technology, the Financial Times brings news that Ericsson has begun developing 4G technology for a proposed 2011 deployment. The early promises from the almost too conveniently named Hakan Eriksson, head of research at Ericsson, are that the 4G technology will offer faster connection speeds for internet access and better picture quality, though it's probably still a little too early to get excited...