NEW: Hinge CEO Jackie Jantos tells the @financialtimes.com why Hinge has continued to grow; how their algorithm works; and whether dating apps really are a force for good. More free below. as.ft.com/r/6370f7c0-b...

Thanks to @tobyn.bsky.social for his eyes on this one… Let me introduce you to Octopus’ £3.5bn trading group which . . .  values itself?

EXC: Forecasts from the OBR for both the November 2025 Budget and March Spring Statement were accessed more times than originally thought, raising questions about security processes and if anyone benefitted financially. as.ft.com/r/6aff037c-5...

EXC: Virgin Media O2’s owners are set to lead a roughly £2bn acquisition of UK broadband rival Netomnia, in the first major step to consolidate the UK fibre market. as.ft.com/r/5780cb35-1...

NEW: Nokia - the company best known for its “brick” phone - has undergone not one, but two reinventions in the last decade (and a bit). The Finnish group is now aiming to build and connect the infrastructure needed for the rollout of AI. Free here: as.ft.com/r/2bf1eada-6...

NEW: AI is changing the way we date -- from practising flirting with ChatGPT to letting dating app algorithms do the work for you. But is it actually a force for good? @melissahei.bsky.social and I dig into that here in the @financialtimes.com as.ft.com/r/c29950a0-9...

Scoop: Virgin Media O2 is in talks for what could be a £2bn takeover of broadband rival, Netomnia, in a potentially landmark deal for U.K. altnet consolidation. Rival CityFibre are also in the bidding, but a deal with neither party has yet been agreed. as.ft.com/r/a1d36eeb-a...

EXC: ‘Cable cowboy’ John Malone is to step down from his media and telecoms empire today, in an era-ending step for the American pioneer. Malone will step down as chair of both Liberty Global and Liberty Media. With @danielthomasldn.bsky.social on.ft.com/430i2sn

‘It’s a safe place for an American nutter’ Safe to say, JD Vance’s visit to the Cotswolds has evoked some emotions among the locals… My dispatch from Chipping Norton here: on.ft.com/47nYQHN

SCOOP: Liberty Global has offered voluntary redundancy to over a third of its direct employees and plans to sell one of its two private jets, in an escalation of long running restructuring efforts at the telecoms group built by “cable cowboy” John Malone. on.ft.com/4ocM3hF

SCOOP: BT Group are set to appoint Virgin Media O2 Patricia Cobian to replace Simon Lowth as the company’s new CFO. More in Financial Times Due Diligence newsletter tomorrow.

SCOOP: CityFibre is set to announce its long-awaited £2.3bn refinancing later today or Monday, in a crucial move for the UK's third largest broadband network. More here free: on.ft.com/44qHWGT

NEW: The surprising success story of British fibre broadband — the FT takes a deep dive into how the U.K. went from laggard to leader in providing faster and more reliable internet services to millions of households. W/ Alan Smith Free here: on.ft.com/4kBX5tS

🚨: DragonForce, the ransomware group linked to the recent cyber attacks M&S, Harrods and the Co-Op has begun a turf war with its rivals. Experts say the move could trigger a battle within the industry that could bring more hacks and further fallout for corporate victims… on.ft.com/4l7Cb6K ‘

NEW: Tony Blair's staff took part in a BCG project for the redevelopment of Gaza along the lines of the 'Trump Riviera' plan www.ft.com/content/0b1b...

EXC: The CEO of dating app Bumble has criticised staff in London for "freaking out" after she cut 30% of jobs at the company. Whitney Wolfe Herd said the "centre of gravity" was now the US, as that was "where the talent pool is right now." w/ @costasmourselas.bsky.social on.ft.com/4khBM0g

🚨NEW: The boss of BT has said that advances in AI could mean more job cuts at the company beyond the 40k already announced, while opening the door to a possible future spin-off of Openreach. FREE HERE: on.ft.com/4kBwf5G

The CEO of Liberty Global has claimed business secretary Jonathan Reynolds is “anxious” for large telecoms companies to buy the UK’s struggling “altnet” broadband providers over fears many could collapse and leave customers without internet… More here: on.ft.com/4jLfeVu

EXC: BT’s Openreach has threatened to block new TalkTalk customers in an escalating dispute over unpaid bills. The UK’s largest broadband provider issued the warning this week, which could derail the struggling telecoms operator’s turnaround efforts. on.ft.com/445qYNV

NEW: TalkTalk has been late making payments worth millions of pounds to its suppliers, including Openreach and CityFibre, as the company struggles with cash flow issues. This comes just months after sharesholders injected a further £235mn into the company. on.ft.com/4jtor4z

NEW: Vodafone has pledged £1.5bn towards improving its UK mobile network this year upon the completion of the merger with Three. However, the company's 2025 results were dampened by its German operation, which shed over 50% of its TV customers last year. www.ft.com/content/ab9c...

carp-ing from the sidelines

EXC: BT’s involvement in TNT Sports is set to be no more… A deal to sell the company’s remaining 50% stake to Warner Bros is set to close as soon as next week, putting an end to the telecoms giant’s decade-long experiment in sports broadcasting. W/ @danielthomasldn.bsky.social on.ft.com/4mlkJws

NEW: BT to carve out new ‘international’ unit with over 8,000 staff as the company refocuses on it’s U.K. operations. The company is open to a deal for its international wing, whether that be a sale or a tie-up with another operator. on.ft.com/3GQnmGD

Great to speak on the FT News Briefing about Doordash’s deal to buy UK food delivery company Deliveroo this morning. Listen here! t.co/KRlvvLDrQC

EXC: TalkTalk shed over 400,000 customers last year as the heavily indebted company battled the rise of alternative broadband providers. Story here: on.ft.com/4k5kgwC

SCOOP: BT has agreed a deal to sell the remainder of its Italian business to local provider Retelit, as CEO Allison Kirkby continues to refocus the company on its UK operations. Read free here: on.ft.com/4jnxJjz

European telecom groups line up deals in hope of looser merger rules. One veteran telecoms M&A lawyer said that: “Once the commission green lights one major deal, we’ll see a wave of consolidation.” With @kieranjsmith.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/0834...

NEW: A top Trump official has told Europe its time to choose between US or Chinese communications tech. FCC Chair Brendan Carr told those concerned about signing deals with Elon Musk’s Starlink to “wait for the CCP alternative, then you’ll be really worried.” on.ft.com/42J1gOt

NEW: UK start-ups are increasingly considering switching their headquarters to US in a search for growth as funding for British businesses falls to a post-pandemic low. Experts warn the U.K. could lose its brightest talent if more isn’t done to encourage them to stay. on.ft.com/3GiRh9S

EXC: Sky has reiterated its commitment to use CityFibre’s network for some of its 5.7 million broadband customers. The broadcaster met CityFibre’s lenders last week as they sought reassurances over Sky’s plans before deciding whether to give the “altnet” £1.5bn in extra financing. on.ft.com/3G9g1Bk

NEW: UK altnet consolidation is picking up as G.Network - who cover 400k homes in London - renews efforts to find a buyer. This follows CityFibre’s deal to buy Connexin last week, with fibre providers searching for scale as they try and compete with BT. enterprise-sharing.ft.com/redeem/c9595...

Elbows up, Canada.

The U.K. could have near 100% full fibre coverage by 2027, with providers deregulated next decade, Ofcom networks chief Natalie Black tells me. Ofcom has announced its latest review of the broadband market - something Black hopes will give investors confidence in the U.K. ⬇️⬇️ on.ft.com/4bRF9IT

EXC: Indian billionaire Sunil Mittal is open to increasing his 24.5% stake in BT Group. Sources tell me that the telecom tycoon - who is already BT’s largest shareholder - views the stake as a long term investment and one where he is keen to be hands on. on.ft.com/42ba8fw

European telecoms giants are finding growth elsewhere as Brussels mulls calls to allow more mergers in the sector. The CEOs of Vodafone and Orange spoke to me at #MWC2025 about how emerging markets are serving as “growth engines” while Europe stagnates. on.ft.com/3FqRyaj

Brussels announces they're opening a call for evidence this week on mergers guidelines in welcome news for telecoms companies at #MWC.

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark says he is “optimistic” that the new EU Commission finally recognises tech companies have seen a “tsunami” of regulations compared with US competitors. On relocation to the U.S if Europe doesn’t move fast enough: “We’re proud to be HQ’d in Europe.”

Delighted to announce I’ve taken on a new role as a Companies Reporter at the FT over the next few months, sponsored by the Marjorie Deane foundation. I’ll be covering telecoms, tech and comms so please do reach out for coffees/tips on [email protected]

NEW Senator Thom Tillis personally assured Danielle Hegseth that if she signed a sworn-statement about her former brother-in-law’s conduct that it would carry weight and could lead him, Murkowski, and Collins to vote NO on Pete Hegseth’s nomination. He then became the 50th century to vote YES.

this week on the podcast we discussed how one far-right foreign billionaire has forced UK politics and media to dance to his tune for days podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/p...

NEW: Brompton chief warns axing tariffs on Chinese bicycles could ‘kill’ business and lead to redundancies as the government reviews a recommendation to scrap them. Will Butler-Adams spoke to the FT ahead of Rachel Reeves planned visit to Brompton’s Beijing store. on.ft.com/4h4D8du

NEW: Civil servant long-term sickness has hit a post-pandemic high. The Ministry of Justice was the worst affected department for absence, with staff missing an average of 6.9 days in 2023. In total, almost two million working days were lost over the period. More ⬇️ on.ft.com/4gMoB6L

Feels like a signficant win for Spurs. Good position for the Carabao final at Wembley of course. First win after a pretty awful four game run. Played a more controlled, patient, steadier game today. Top debut Kinsky. Bergvall decisive (yes he should have been sent off).

Telegraph headline: Starmer ‘guilty as anyone I know’, says grooming gang whistleblower Actual quote: “Conservatives & Labour are all equally to blame [in my opinion] and Starmer as former DPP is perhaps as guilty as anyone I know in where we find ourselves" www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01...

EXC: The number of most serious fines on U.K. businesses for filing their accounts late hit 11,000 last year - a new record. Over £34mn in penalties were levied on companies as they struggled to prove to auditors they could stay-afloat post-pandemic. More ⬇️ on.ft.com/40mtJc4

Thoroughly enjoyed this little line from @hackblackburn.bsky.social ‘s piece in The Times on the Downing Street visitors books… Worth a read if you can: www.thetimes.com/article/1e5c...

NEW: Newly released documents show Tony Blair’s government questioned if the US had “proper control” over its own military during the war in Iraq. One U.S. official told the British that “Bush still thought he was on some sort of mission from god” during the invasion. More ⬇️ on.ft.com/3BRBzAK

NEW: Cabinet members warned Tony Blair against free movement from new EU countries such as Poland prior to their joining the bloc in 2004. Blair ignored the warnings, with Jack Straw telling the @financialtimes.com: “We got it wrong.” First 300 views free⬇️ on.ft.com/3W1LNFw

NEW: Cabinet members warned Tony Blair against free movement from new EU countries such as Poland prior to their joining the bloc in 2004. Blair ignored the warnings, with Jack Straw telling the @financialtimes.com: “We got it wrong.” First 300 views free⬇️ on.ft.com/3W1LNFw