Cheaper Mobile in France?
The founder of Free, the low-cost French Internet access
company, is promising to bring down the price of cellphone service if he
acquires a mobile license. Xavier Niel,(photo) who forced down the price of Internet
access in France to one of the cheapest in Europe with a €29.99 ($44) triple-play
(Internet, TV, phone) offer, has been negotiating with French authorities for
the fourth mobile operator’s license. With 4 million subscribers, Free is the
No.2 Internet service provider in France.
Niel, CEO of Free’s parent company, Illiad, says he could save the average French household €1000
annually in communications costs if he is granted the license to operate in France. Existing
licenses are held by SFR, Orange
(France Telecom) and Bouygues Telecom.
Apple Reprimanded on Ads
British regulators have slapped Apple for running misleading
ads. The Advertising Standards Authority said claims that “all parts of the
Internet are on the iPhone” in Apple ads are not true since the phone’s browser
cannot handle Java or Flash, two technologies widely used on the Internet. Viewers
complained that the phone could not handle many sites with animation and video
content.
Apple has countered that the ads were intended to highlight
the differences between the iPhone and other phones that can only display cut
down versions of many web sites or sites chosen by the mobile operator.
Hunting Chinese Gymnasts
Internet hackers in China
have joined those in the U.S. seeking evidence that several gold medal Chinese gymnasts were under age. The
New York Times reports that tipsters in China have pointed American
Internet investigators to documents that purport to show that He Kexin and
several other Chinese gymnasts were under the minimum age of 16 when they won
four gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. Chinese officials have insisted all
the gymnasts met the age requirements.
The search for the truth has turned into a battle between
hackers and censors. As quickly as documents turn up indicating the gymnasts
were under age, they disappear from official government Web sites. Blogger Mike
Walker says he has found at least four official documents indicating that He
Kexin was 14 years old. Since 1997, Olympic gymnasts must be at least 16 to participate
in the games.