Author: Maurice Broaddus

People eagerly lined up at a flagship Apple store in downtown Beijing on Friday morning to get their hands on the newly released iPhone 15. Despite concerns over nationalistic sentiment affecting sales, the store saw a significant turnout.

Many customers also opted for delivery. According to JD’s Dada one-hour delivery app, iPhone 15 sales surged by 253% compared to last year’s iPhone 14 sales. Within the first 10 minutes of deliveries beginning at 8 a.m., 25,000 phones were already on their way to customers. This year, Dada is collaborating with 4,600 authorized Apple retailers in China, a significant increase from 500 in 2020.

Apple commenced deliveries of the iPhone 15 on Friday after pre-orders opened on September 15. However, the company faces challenges in its third-largest market amid economic and political headwinds.

In the weeks leading up to Apple’s launch, Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei released its Mate 60 Pro, despite facing U.S. sanctions that have severely impacted its smartphone business. Some customers waiting in line at the Apple store expressed ambivalence towards the brand and mentioned their attempts to purchase Huawei’s new phone, which had sold out. As a result, they decided to go for the new iPhone instead.

Many customers feel that choosing one brand over another is not necessarily a patriotic act, as both Huawei and Apple contribute taxes to China. While Huawei’s phone is expected to have a shorter usage life of about two to three years, customers believe Apple’s system can last longer, around four to five years.

China accounts for nearly 20% of Apple’s revenue, and the company’s Greater China net sales have increased by nearly 8% year-on-year. However, Counterpoint Research predicts a 4% decline in Apple iPhone shipments in China in the fourth quarter.

Despite these challenges, early pre-order results indicate strong demand for the iPhone 15 in China. Deliveries to less developed cities have seen a six-fold increase compared to last year.

When former Solicitors General of the United States, Donald Verrilli and Ian Gershengorn, recently argued against the restoration of net neutrality protections, it caught many by surprise. Having served under the Obama administration, which initially established net neutrality before its repeal under the Trump administration, their stance seemed unexpected.

Verrilli and Gershengorn’s position does not question the merits of net neutrality as a policy. Instead, they raise concerns about the Supreme Court’s conservative majority potentially using the “major questions doctrine” to strike down any changes to open internet laws. Consequently, they suggest that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should not attempt to reinstate net neutrality, especially now that it has a Democratic majority.

The authors cite a white paper they wrote on the subject, which received funding from industry lobbying organizations USTelecom and NCTA. These associations represent major players in the industry, such as AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and Charter. Given this financing, questions of potential conflicts of interest arise, which were not mentioned in the original op-ed published by Bloomberg Law.

Critics argue that this stance against net neutrality has been carefully crafted to appear neutral and legitimate by leveraging former Obama officials and media outlets. They see it as a defeatist narrative that assumes net neutrality would not stand against the major questions doctrine, a legal principle used by conservative justices to restrict the authority of administrative bodies.

The authors suggest that the FCC does not have the “clear authorization” required by the Supreme Court to enforce common carrier obligations on broadband providers through Title II of the Communications Act, which is the mechanism to reinstate net neutrality. They point to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s past rulings on the matter in support of their argument.

However, other legal experts disagree with this stance. Harold Feld, a longtime advocate for enforcing common carriage obligations on broadband providers, highlights that net neutrality was previously upheld by the Supreme Court in 2015. He emphasizes the importance of protecting the infrastructure of modern communications through net neutrality.

While the debate continues, it remains to be seen whether the FCC will push for the restoration of net neutrality or if Congress will take action on the issue.

The global telecommunications market is projected to experience significant growth in the coming years, driven by the implementation of new technologies and innovative solutions. By 2031, the market is expected to witness increased revenue generation and market share. It is divided by type into companies such as DTAC, Telkom, PLDT, Axiata (Malaysia), Digi (Malaysia), and TM (Malaysia), among others. The market size is also forecasted based on applications, including mobile telecommunications and fixed telecommunications.

This comprehensive report provides an analysis of the telecommunications market, including its current state, key players, emerging trends, and future growth prospects. It offers valuable insights into global market trends, drivers, and statistical data on revenue growth in various regional and country-level markets. The competitive landscape and organization analyses for the projected period are also included.

The report explores potential drivers for development, examines the current market share distribution and adoption of various types, technologies, applications, and regions up to 2031. It also presents an overview of the market’s value structure, cost determinants, and key driving factors. Additionally, it assesses the industry landscape and competitive scenario among distributors and manufacturers.

Key insights from the report include regional share analysis, segment overview based on type and application, competitive landscape analysis, and factors considered such as the impact of COVID-19 and regional conflicts. The challenges and opportunities for market players are highlighted, aiding strategic decision-making.

The global telecommunications market was valued at USD 1791000.0 million in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 1935600.0 million by 2027, with a CAGR of 1.3% during the forecast period. The report provides a holistic view of the market, covering macro and micro details of segment markets by type, application, and region.

Overall, this report serves as a valuable resource for industry players, investors, researchers, consultants, and business strategists, providing comprehensive insights into the telecommunications market and its growth prospects. It includes a forecast of sales and revenue from 2021 to 2031 and highlights telecommunication market share, distribution channels, key suppliers, price trends, and the raw material supply chain.

The GIS in Telecom Sales Market Research Report provides a thorough overview of the industry’s size, share, and emerging technologies, as well as present and future trends. This report analyzes key market trends and company strategies in the GIS in Telecom Sales industry for the foreseeable future. The report includes a detailed analysis of the GIS in Telecom Sales Market, focusing on business types (software and service, hardware) and applications (large enterprise, small and medium enterprise) with a forecast until 2030.

The report discusses key producers, market developments, opportunities, challenges, and risks facing the entire GIS in Telecom Sales market. It offers a comprehensive view and deep insight into the market, covering all essential aspects. The report is 132 pages long and provides a detailed analysis of growth, statistics, opportunities, and trends in the market. It combines extensive quantitative and qualitative analysis, ranging from a macro overview of the total market size, industry chain, and market dynamics to micro details of segment markets by type, application, and region.

The GIS in Telecom Sales Market stands as a valuable resource for industry insights. It explores diverse market dynamics, such as market compounds, trends, prospects, limitations, regional prospects, and the competitive scenario. This knowledge empowers industry stakeholders to make strategic choices and maintain a competitive edge.

The report examines all the key factors influencing the growth of the GIS in Telecom Sales Market, including region, type, and end-user. Each market segment is analyzed extensively to deliver trustworthy knowledge for market investments. The report also studies and analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on the GIS in Telecom Sales Market.

Geographically, the report analyzes the revenue, market growth, size, share, trend, and forecast [2023-2030] for the United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and other regions.

Overall, this report provides market share assessments, strategic hints for new entrants, market facts, trends, strategic pointers, competitive landscaping, company profiling, and supply chain trends. It is a valuable resource for industry players, investors, researchers, consultants, business strategists, and all those planning to enter the market in any manner.

Note: The original article includes more content that has been removed to meet the word limit requirements.

Crypto investor Jenny lost a significant amount of money in a scam orchestrated by Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange JPEX. The platform, which police say defrauded over 2,000 victims, is now under investigation, resulting in the arrests of 11 company staff and affiliated influencers. The total losses of the victims exceed $175 million. This scandal has raised concerns about regulatory gaps in Hong Kong’s digital asset industry, particularly in light of new rules requiring crypto exchanges to obtain licenses and meet investor protection standards. The Securities and Futures Commission issued a warning against JPEX, noting that the platform falsely advertised itself as licensed and offered suspiciously high returns. As a result, JPEX suspended its return-generating products and implemented high withdrawal fees.

Law enforcement authorities conducted a raid on 20 premises, including crypto businesses and private homes, seizing cash, computers, and luxury handbags. Two telecommunications service providers have blocked access to JPEX’s website. Investigators are looking into whether JPEX colluded with influencers and shops to create a false perception of legality and inflate the value of its virtual coins.

The crackdown on JPEX has revealed challenges faced by Hong Kong in striking a balance between attracting crypto businesses and protecting retail investors. The licensing system in place targets exchanges but excludes over-the-counter (OTC) brokerages, a loophole that allows unregulated activities. Experts have called for the expansion of the licensing and supervision regime to include OTC crypto stores. These OTC shops, endorsed by popular influencers, often employ high-pressure sales tactics to deceive investors.

The scandal has prompted regulators to reconsider their approach to OTC shops and influencers. While the enforcement actions against JPEX may seem heavy-handed, they send a necessary message to rogue players in the industry. However, regulating influencers presents a challenge. Additionally, it is crucial to enhance regulations concerning OTC shops in terms of anti-money laundering and know-your-customer practices.

Despite the scandal, JPEX remains defiant, unveiling a “stakeholders dividend plan” on its website that allows users to vote and invest in the company’s future. The incident serves as a wake-up call for authorities and underscores the need for tighter regulations in the digital asset industry.

According to analysts at Citi, European value stocks are currently doing better than growth stocks. They believe that European value stocks still have more potential due to their attractive valuations and potential upside from a China recovery. However, they also advise investors to remain cautious and consider quality value stocks or, for less risk-averse investors, risky value stocks.

Citi defines “quality” value stocks as those that rank in the top fifth and fourth quintiles for three characteristics: value, low risk, and quality. On the other hand, “risky” value stocks are those that rank in the top fifth and fourth quintiles for value but in the first and second quintiles for low risk and quality.

Although investors have shown a preference for risky value stocks, with an 8.6% increase, quality value stocks have experienced a slight decline of 0.3% year-to-date. However, since the beginning of August, investors have become more cautious, resulting in quality value stocks rising by 4.6% and risky value stocks declining by 0.6%.

Citi has provided a list of stocks from their two screens, which relax constraints for quality and low-risk attributes. These stocks come from various industries, including financial services, telecommunication services, consumer staples, and materials.

In the “quality value” stocks screen, Citi identified HSBC Holdings, Zurich Insurance Group, ABN AMRO, CaixaBank, Tesco, Imperial Brands, and Nokia among the companies that scored well in value, quality, and low risk.

For the “risky value” stocks screen, TotalEnergies, BNP Paribas, BMW, A.P. Moller Maersk, Bayer, Swiss Life Holding, and WPP PLC were among the companies that scored high in value, despite lower rankings in quality and low risk.

Source: CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

Still Up, the new Apple TV+ romantic comedy series, follows the story of two best friends, Lisa and Danny, who are both chronic insomniacs. Set in London, the show presents a unique twist on the typical rom-com formula. While it has its charms, Still Up falls short in terms of sustainability and fails to deliver on its potential.

The series introduces us to Lisa and Danny during one of their late-night FaceTime calls. As we follow their nightly conversations, we see the world through their eyes, delving into the peculiarities of the night. However, while Lisa is out and about, Danny’s character is confined to his apartment, struggling with agoraphobia. This contrast adds depth to their friendship and keeps the audience engaged.

Antonia Thomas and Craig Roberts are excellently cast in the lead roles, bringing chemistry and believability to their characters. Thomas’s portrayal of Lisa is particularly noteworthy, making her character endearing rather than obnoxious. Lisa’s relationship with Veggie, her boyfriend and stepfather to her daughter, further adds complexity to the story, creating an engaging will-they-won’t-they dynamic.

One of the show’s ironies is that Lisa and Danny, who are addicted to phone calls and suffer from insomnia, use Apple products for their FaceTime conversations. Watching this on an Apple TV+ series is quite amusing, considering Apple’s role in the rise of smartphone addiction. However, this irony is one of the show’s biggest jokes, and Still Up lacks the comedic punch needed to make it truly memorable.

While Still Up has its moments, the overall storyline feels drawn out and lacking in exciting developments. The series focuses on the gradual building of Lisa and Danny’s relationship, but it never quite reaches the level of grandeur that it promises. At times, it feels like the show is dragging on, becoming forgettable rather than leaving a lasting impression.

In conclusion, Still Up offers a different perspective on the rom-com genre with its portrayal of chronic insomniacs forging a unique bond. However, the series fails to fully realize its potential and leaves viewers wishing for more captivating moments. Despite the strong performances by the lead actors, Still Up falls short in terms of delivering a compelling and memorable storyline.

Caretaker Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Dr Umar Saif, has announced that measures are being taken to improve telecom services in the country. Speaking during a meeting with Jazz CEO, Aamir Ibrahim, Dr Saif revealed that the auction for 5G spectrum will take place in the coming months. The discussion focused on the timeline for the auction and the potential impact on telecom services.

Dr Saif highlighted that limited bandwidth has hindered the delivery of satisfactory telecom services to users. However, he expressed optimism that the 5G auction will lead to the provision of high-quality telecom services across the country.

In addition to the meeting with Jazz, Dr Saif also held separate discussions with Ufone and Zong CEOs. These meetings were aimed at updating them on the upcoming 5G auction and preparing the market for its implementation.

The 5G spectrum auction is a significant step towards advancing Pakistan’s telecom infrastructure. By allocating spectrum to different telecom providers, the government aims to enhance network capabilities and deliver faster data speeds. The introduction of 5G technology is expected to revolutionize various sectors, including entertainment, healthcare, and transportation.

With the auction expected to take place in the next few months, telecom companies are gearing up to participate and compete for the spectrum. This development highlights the government’s commitment to improving telecom services for the benefit of the people.

In summary, steps are being taken to enhance telecom services in Pakistan through the upcoming 5G spectrum auction. This initiative is expected to result in improved network capabilities and the delivery of high-quality services to cellular users throughout the country.