Month: April 2022

Workers at Apple’s Grand Central Station store in New York have announced a plan to start a union.

If their bid is successful it would be the first union at one of the tech giant’s US stores.

The group of staff known as Fruit Stand Workers United must get signatures of support from 30% of colleagues at the store to qualify for a union election.

The move follows unionisation drives by staff at Starbucks and Amazon. Apple has not commented on the announcement.

A statement on a campaign website for the prospective union said: “Grand Central is an extraordinary store with unique working conditions that make a union necessary to ensure our team has the best possible standards of living.

The group described themselves as working in “extraordinary times with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and once-in-a-generation consumer price inflation,” though their website did not disclose the name of staff members leading the effort.

The group said it also wants a $30 (£23) minimum hourly wage for all workers, additional holiday time and information on more robust safety protocols at the Grand Central location.

The campaign is connected to Workers United, an affiliate of the national Service Employees International Union, which was established in 2009 from several earlier unions.

The Apple effort comes as a Starbucks unionisation drive backed by Workers United has spread nationally after election victories last year in New York.

Amazon is also facing a growing challenge from unions after an upstart campaign won an election at a warehouse in nearby Staten Island earlier this month.

Employees working in at least three other Apple stores are also attempting to organize, according to The Washington Post.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.

A group of employees at Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal store has started formally collecting signatures to form a union, says a report.

A group of workers at Apple’s flagship retail store in Manhattan has begun formally gathering signatures to form a union, The Washington Post reported Saturday. Organizers at Apple’s Grand Central Terminal store say they voted Feb. 21 to affiliate with Workers United, the national labor union involved in recent efforts to unionize at Starbucks outlets, the paper reported.

If the organizers can collect enough signatures and then either bring about a successful union vote or prompt Apple to voluntarily recognize a union, the iPhone maker’s Grand Central store would, the Post said, become the first of its retail outlets to unionize. At least three additional Apple stores are working toward forming unions, the Post said, citing anonymous employees.

A website put together by the Grand Central organizers, who are calling themselves the Fruit Stand Workers United, says a union is needed “to ensure our team has the best possible standards of living in what have proven to be extraordinary times with the ongoing covid-19 pandemic and once-in-a-generation consumer price inflation,” the Post said.

The news comes just over two weeks after workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, voted in favor of joining a union, a first for Amazon’s US facilities.

Apple didn’t respond to CNET’s request for comment. The Post said the company wouldn’t say if it would support or push back against the organizing effort. Instead, it provided a general statement of appreciation for its retail employees, along with an overview of benefits it provides them, including health care, tuition reimbursement and new parental leave.

Apple is reportedly testing a range of new Macs with its next generation of silicon, the M2 chips, which could be released later this year.

Apple is actively testing the next generation of in-house chips, the M2 series, in several different new Mac models, according to a Bloomberg report.

The company is testing four different types of M2 chips across nine new Macs. While detail about the machines being tested is scant, the report claims that the models tested with the base M2 chip include a MacBook Air, Mac mini and an entry-level MacBook Pro.

Other test models have reportedly packed an M2 Pro chip, including a Mac mini and both 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros. An M2 Max chip is also being tested with both sizes of MacBook Pros, and a Mac Pro desktop will use a successor to the M1 Ultra chip that debuted in the recently unveiled Mac Studio.

Read more: Best MacBook for 2022

Apple is also testing models with different configurations of existing chips, like a Mac mini with an M1 Pro and an M1 Max, but the report was unsure whether their overlap with the Mac Studio would keep them from being released.

While the report stressed that these models may not all reach production, those that are destined for store shelves could launch later this year. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Delivery dates for certain models like the MacBook Pro could be delayed until June.

Apple is facing production woes for its MacBook Pros, with delivery dates being pushed back into June, according to a report from Bloomberg. As a result of China’s zero-tolerance policy for COVID-19 outbreaks, more than 30 Taiwanese companies, including major laptop manufacturer Quanta, have suspended production in China, the news outlet reported.

For Apple’s highest-end MacBook Pro, delivery times are estimated as late as June 16, while deliveries of lower-end configurations of the 14-inch MacBook Pro are set back until the end of May, Bloomberg said. The majority of other Apple laptop models like the 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air haven’t been impacted and still offer same-day delivery or delivery within a few days of ordering, the report said. So far, no delays in iPhone shipments have been reported.

The latest MacBook Pros, which range in price from $999 to $6,000 or more, are powered by Apple’s expanded M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max chips.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on production delays.

Apple’s CEO also pushes back against charges that its app store controls are anti-competitive.

Calling it “one of the most essential battles of our time,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that his company will continue to fight for data privacy protections that are in the best interests of consumers.

Cook also pushed back against charges that his company’s tight controls over its app store are anti-competitive. While Apple maintains that the controls protect consumer security and privacy, the store is the only official way to download apps to iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and Apple Watches.

Speaking at the International Association of Privacy Professionals’ Global Privacy Summit, Cook said privacy continues to be threatened by the “data industrial complex,” which seeks to collect information about everything from the restaurants where people eat and the stores where they shop to the websites they browse.

While those companies say they’re collecting that data in order to provide consumers with a more custom experience, they usually don’t give consumers a choice about it, Cook noted.

“Who would stand for such a thing if it were unfolding in a physical world?” he asked, noting that few people would actually agree to have someone with a camera follow them as they took their child to school, or watch them as they worked on their laptop.

“You wouldn’t call that a service, you’d call that an emergency,” he said. “In the digital world it is one too.”

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Cook pointed to several features designed to protect data privacy that Apple has introduced in recent years, noting that users can now decide for themselves if their apps should be able to track their activity across their devices, as well as take steps to mask their location and shield their email addresses if they desire.

He also pointed to Apple’s efforts to minimize the data it collects and maximize the amount of processing that’s done on device, rather than in the cloud, reducing the risk that consumer data could be stolen by cybercriminals.

While Cook said the company remains in favor of strong privacy regulations like the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, and continues to call for such a law in the US, he said new regulations being debated in this country could put security and privacy at risk.

There’s been fierce debate both in the public and within the tech industry about how much power tech giants should wield over their respective app stores and platforms.

Lawmakers, regulators and developers have argued that Apple, in particular, should loosen its restrictions, which don’t allow developers to offer alternative app stores or to use alternative payment processors for in-app purchases of digital goods like new looks for a character in a game. Apple and Google both charge commissions of between 15% and 30% for those purchases, which they say help fund the technology and administration of their respective stores.

Some of the largest developers in the industry have taken strong stances against the current app store system. One of them, Fortnite maker Epic Games, sued both Apple and Google over the way they restrict payments on their respective app stores. The game maker, whose online battle royale game has become an international sensation, unsuccessfully argued to a California District Court Judge last year that Apple’s actions ran afoul of antitrust laws. It is appealing that decision.

Cook argued Tuesday that allowing the downloading of apps from outside sources could let companies subvert Apple’s privacy protections, as well as put the security of consumer data at risk. While not naming Google’s Android operating system specifically, he pointed to the recent case of a malicious app that spread ransomware on devices other than Apple’s after users downloaded it from outside of the official app store.

It’s shaping up to be a big year for smartwatches. While we’re expecting to see typical updates like the next-generation Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch, 2022 might also mark some notable milestones. Google, for example, is rumored to launch its first Pixel Watch in the spring or fall. Fitbit, which Google owns, could also release its first watch running on Wear OS.

A Pew Research Report from 2020 says 1 in 5 Americans use a smartwatch or fitness tracker, while Counterpoint Research’s data says the smartwatch industry grew by 24% year-over-year in 2021. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see companies like Apple, Google, Samsung and others further their wearable tech ambitions this year.

Here’s a look at the most interesting rumored smartwatches we’re hoping to see this year.

Apple Watch Explorer Edition
Apple might add a new rugged to its smartwatch lineup this year known as the Explorer Edition, according to Bloomberg. This would be a more rugged version of the Apple Watch geared toward those who engage in outdoor activities and extreme sports, the report says. It’s expected to have the same functionality as Apple’s regular smartwatches, but with more impact protection similar to Casio’s G-Shock watches.

The watch is sometimes referred to as the “Explorer Edition” inside Apple, according to the report, but it’s unclear if the product would go by that name. Bloomberg previously said the new rugged Apple Watch could arrive in 2022, so there’s a chance we might see it during Apple’s annual fall product event. Apple already began taking a step in this direction by making the Apple Watch Series 7’s front crystal more durable.

I’m not the target audience for a watch like this, but I’m still excited to see what Apple’s take on the rugged smartwatch could look like. There’s an opportunity for Apple to reach more than just extreme athletes with a more durable smartwatch. A rugged Apple Watch could also be ideal for those with physically demanding occupations, such as construction workers, brick masons, landscapers and mechanics.

Apple Watch Series 8
There’s also the Apple Watch Series 8, which is expected to debut this fall in typical Apple fashion. The biggest upgrade will likely be the addition of a body temperature sensor, according to Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal. The thermometer might be designed to help wearers with fertility planning, the Journal’s report says. Adding the ability to measure temperature would also help Apple catch up to other wellness trackers from Oura and Fitbit in this regard.

But Apple’s more significant health-tracking updates — like glucose and blood pressure monitoring — are still expected to be years away, according to the reports. That makes me believe the Series 8 might be another incremental upgrade with processing and design improvements.

Still, I’m looking forward to learning how Apple would incorporate temperature sensing into the Apple Watch’s suite of health features, if at all. Otherwise, I’m hoping to see longer battery life, more detailed sleep tracking and metrics that focus on recovering from workouts in the next Apple Watch.

Apple Watch SE 2
While the rumored Apple Watch Series 8 will likely demand much of the attention this fall, I’m personally more excited about a next-generation Apple Watch SE. The main differences between Apple’s flagship watches and the SE usually involve sophisticated health tracking features — such as blood oxygen saturation and the ability to take an ECG. But the Apple Watch SE still has most of the Apple Watch’s most important features for $120 less than the Series 7, making it feel like the right model for most people. Such features include activity tracking, fall detection, irregular heart rate notifications, Apple Pay support and iPhone notifications.

Apple hasn’t released a new Apple Watch SE since 2020, so I’m hoping to see an update this year. We don’t know much about what to expect from the next Apple Watch SE, but a June 2021 Bloomberg report said a new version may arrive later this year. Based on Apple’s previous releases, a newer processor, some design tweaks and new color options seem like plausible additions. But this is just speculation based on Apple’s previous launches.

The SE’s lower price means its functionality will be more limited than Apple’s next flagship watch. Aside from the absence of those health features mentioned above, the current SE also has a smaller screen than the Series 7, lacks an always-on display and doesn’t charge as quickly.

If Apple brings any of these features to the next-generation SE, I’m hoping it’s the always-on display. Having a screen capable of staying on even when the watch is idle makes the Apple Watch much more useful as a timepiece. It’s one of the few features I find myself missing in everyday use when switching between Apple’s high-end watch and the SE. Apple could still distinguish the Series 8 from the SE with its wider selection of health features and larger screen. Since Apple might discontinue the $199 Apple Watch Series 3 soon, a new SE would round out Apple’s lineup with a new budget-friendly option.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch is one of the best smartwatches available for Android device owners, and rumors suggest a new Galaxy Watch 5 could be coming this year. It’ll likely have a round screen and Google’s Wear OS software just like the Galaxy Watch 4, but with a bigger battery and a temperature sensor. That’s according to rumors from blog SamMobile, which claims to have found the device’s battery in a regulatory filing, and Korean outlet ETNews.

These rumored upgrades suggest the Galaxy Watch 5 may be a refinement of the Watch 4 rather than a dramatic upgrade. But considering the Galaxy Watch 4 already does a lot of things right, from its smooth performance and vibrant screen to its wide array of health features, I’m fine with that.

One of CNET’s biggest criticisms was the watch’s battery life, and it sounds like the Galaxy Watch 5 might address this shortcoming. The bigger update we’re hoping to see, however, is tighter integration with Google’s apps and services. Such a change could give the Galaxy Watch 5 a more seamless Android experience, rather than feeling split between Google and Samsung’s ecosystems.

Google Pixel Watch
Google owns Fitbit and makes software for Android-friendly smartwatches, but it doesn’t have a smartwatch of its own. That could all change this year as Google is expected to release its first consumer smartwatch, according to reports from Insider and YouTuber Jon Prosser.

Details on the watch are scarce, but Prosser shared purportedly leaked marketing materials indicating it could have a round design. Considering other Wear OS watches are also round, it’s not much of a surprise. An old report from German blog WinFuture also suggests the Pixel Watch could come in three different versions. Insider says we can also expect heart rate monitoring and basic health tracking features.

At a higher level, I’m hoping Google’s smartwatch takes a page from its Pixel phones. Google has made its mobile devices stand out by giving them clever software features that are either exclusive to Pixel phones, or arrive on Pixel devices before trickling down to other Android devices. Google has an opportunity to do the same for smartwatches, potentially creating a blueprint for what the Android smartwatch experience should be like.

Fitbit’s Wear OS Watch
Fitbit is working on a new premium smartwatch powered by Google and Samsung’s new Wear OS software, CNET’s Scott Stein reported last year. It’ll likely have high-end features that might even be an upgrade from the Fitbit Sense, the company’s most expensive watch, along with cellular connectivity and Google’s apps.

It would be a big step forward for Fitbit, which currently sells smartwatches that run its own Fitbit OS software. While I’ve always appreciated Fitbit’s wide selection of health features, detailed sleep tracking and long battery life, I’ve always felt its software could use some work. The experience doesn’t feel as polished as the software on watches from Apple and Samsung, and there aren’t as many apps. But that could all change with Wear OS.

Yet Fitbit might not be completely abandoning its Fitbit OS either. A next-generation version of the Fitbit Versa and Fitbit Sense watch may be in the works according to 9to5Google, which wouldn’t run on Wear OS.

Of course, only Apple, Samsung and Fitbit truly know what products are in their respective pipelines. But whatever their plans may be, health monitoring will likely continue to be a big focus for the smartwatch industry at large. Current smartwatches can already track an assortment of data points about our bodies, from how much time we spent asleep to our resting heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. Experts believe making better sense of such data is a big part of where wearable devices are going next.

The same quadcopters you can buy at Amazon are on the front lines of the battle for Ukraine.

Ukrainian nonprofit Come Back Alive has collected ammunition, rifle stands and radios to help the country’s soldiers fight Russia’s invasion. This week, it also delivered items more commonly used to pep up YouTube videos than fight a war: 24 DJI Mavic 3 drones.

“Our drones are our eyes,” said one Ukrainian military officer who’s worked with drones since 2015 and spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. The Ukrainian military has no official drone unit, the officer said, but soldiers and civilians use them to see what’s in the next village or along the next kilometer of road. “If Russian artillery is preparing to strike, we can shift civilians. … It’s a possibility to make a preventive strike and to save Ukrainian people.”

From commercial quadcopters to fixed-wing military models, drones have proved important to Ukraine, giving its outgunned defense better chances against the huge Russian military. Early in the war, a civilian drone team called Aerorozvidka worked with military units to help Ukraine stall a convoy of armored vehicles headed toward Kyiv, the country’s capital. During a nighttime ambush, the unmanned aircraft dropped small explosives on the lead vehicles, which along with mines caused a pileup. The team also helped Ukraine repel Russia’s initial attempt to seize the airport near Kyiv.

Unmanned aircraft have been used in warfare as far back as 1849. Japan sent balloon bombs over the Pacific Ocean to the US during World War II. The term “drone” became mainstream when General Atomics’ hulking MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones caught on in US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. By 2011, the US military had 11,000 of the big, expensive systems.

Rarely, however, have drones played the role they’re taking on in the asymmetric war between Ukraine’s low budget forces and Russia’s gargantuan military. Miniaturization has improved the cost, flight time and range of commercial drones, while Ukrainians have used military drones successfully against Russian armored vehicles that can cost millions of dollars. Drones are rewriting the rules of war.

“The tank was key at one point,” said John Parachini, a Rand Corp. military researcher. “Now drones may be the more decisive weapons system.”

Though commercial drones are useful mostly for reconnaissance, Ukraine’s fleet of military drones has proved important to delivering the actual attack. The large Turkish built Bayraktar TB2 has been used to destroy Russian resupply vehicles and surface-to-air missile launchers. One Ukrainian company, UA Dynamics, makes the low-profile surveillance drone called Punisher that can carry a 4-pound bomb. The US Defense Department is shipping more than 100 smaller military drones called Switchblades and Pumas from US manufacturer AeroVironment.

Ukrainians are using about 1,000 drones in the war effort, the military officer estimated. Many are mere “toys,” he said, “but we have what we have.”

Sales of military drones are expected to increase about 7% per year, to $18 billion, in 2026 from $13 billion in 2021, according to Business Research Company.

US drone makers get involved with Ukraine
Other US drone makers are delivering drones to Ukraine for humanitarian or noncombat uses:

Draganfly has sold 10 drones and donated three more for delivering blood, vaccines, antibiotics, insulin and other medical products that must be refrigerated. Partners for that work include Coldchain Delivery Systems and Revived Soldiers Ukraine. Some are being fitted with lidar and magnetometer sensors to detect landmines, too. It plans to send 200 drones by August, said CEO Cameron Chell.
Aquiline Drones has donated 40 of its $3,000 Spartacus Hurricane drones to Ukraine for inspections, search and rescue, and sending relief items like medication and water, said CEO Barry Alexander. With a boost from donations, it hopes to send 1,000 of the drones to Ukraine.
Skydio, whose drones dodge trees and houses using autonomous navigation, has donated dozens of drones, worth about $100,000 in total, to support humanitarian and relief efforts in Ukraine, said CEO Adam Bry. Though Skydio focuses on commercial uses, it also sells drones to the US Army for surveillance.
“If you’re taking fire, the first thing you do is take cover and understand where the fire is coming from,” said Chuck McGraw, who leads Skydio’s federal sales and deployed drones as a Navy SEAL in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world. “You can pop up a drone in 60 seconds or less and put eyes on the threat.”

The Russians have their own drones and air defense systems for counteracting Ukrainian drones. Ukrainian photos show Russians have the same DJI Mavic 3 drones that Ukraine is using. But when it comes to Russian military drones, careful accounting in the open source intelligence movement has shown significant losses, with 21 downed or captured Russian drones so far.

“The Russians are a little behind in this game, and the Ukrainians have proved extremely inventive,” RAND’s Parachini said.

The drone advantage in Ukraine isn’t permanent, as militaries add new abilities to destroy drones or jam the radio transmissions they rely on. And though Russian air defense systems apparently didn’t work as well as expected in Ukraine, militaries are investing in counter-drone technology, Parachini said.

Drones are dangerous to use in war, the Ukrainian officer added. Enemy forces can fire on operators when they see a drone take off and can use DJI’s AeroScope technology to locate drones. “In Ukrainian we have a joke: Every time we have a new mouse, someone will construct a new mouse catcher,” the officer said.

DJI didn’t respond to a request for comment but tweeted in response to Ukrainian criticism that military use of its drones is “inappropriate.”

AeroVironment military drones head to Ukraine
Drones can occupy a middle ground between human piloted aircraft and missiles. AeroVironment’s Switchblade 300 and 600 models are “loitering missiles” that unfold their wings like a pocket knife with a lot of blades and can stay airborne until a targeting system tells them where to go.

The 300 weighs 5.5 pounds, fits into a backpack and is launched from a compact tube. It can fly for 15 minutes – covering more than 6 miles – before colliding into its target. The 50-pound Switchblade 600 is designed for more serious targets like armored vehicles. It can fly up to 25 miles and loiter for 40 minutes.

AeroVironment also sells the Puma line of reconnaissance drones that can stay aloft for as long as six and a half hours. After being launched with a throw, catapult or truck, they can be used to spot targets and transfer coordinates wirelessly to Switchblades for an attack.

“A two-person team with a Switchblade drone can be miles away and take out a $50 million piece of equipment with five people in it,” said Michael Robbins, head of government affairs for a US industry group, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

The US military began sending 100 Switchblades to Ukraine in late March as part of an $800 million military aid package, then announced a further $300 million package on April 1 that includes both Pumas and Switchblades. The Pentagon declined to comment on which models, but the latter package includes Switchblade 600s, according to Bloomberg. AeroVironment declined to comment for this story.

The Turkish Bayraktar TB2, with a 40-foot wingspan, can navigate without GPS and carry laser-guided munitions. They cost about $1 million each, Robbins said.

“The Bayraktar TB2 has been used to fairly devastating effect against ground forces,” Robbins said. “It’s become a rallying cry in Ukraine.”

The huge drone has become so successful in frustrating the Russians that it’s inspired a music video to sing its praises.

“Russian bandits are made into ghosts by Bayraktar,” says a translation of the lyrics.

As the cost of living rises it is “vital” that broadband firms do more to promote discounted broadband for low-income households, the government says.

In a letter to broadband suppliers, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries noted only 1-2% of Universal Credit claimants take up social tariffs.

Ofcom has previously said that 84% of benefit recipients were unaware of social tariff packages.

It said it had seen “limited evidence” of those tariffs being promoted.

The Good Things Foundation, which campaigns on behalf of the digitally excluded, described data poverty as an issue that has “grown significantly over the past two years during the pandemic”.

It warned increases to the cost of living “will only put further pressure on those on the lowest incomes, who are already having to make stark choices between having the internet connection they need and heating their house or feeding their family”.

In her letter to broadband firms, Nadine Dorries highlighted the increasing prevalence of “a more digital society” and said it was “vital” to raise awareness of discount broadband offers “for low-income households”.

Of the five million households eligible for cheaper broadband, only around 55,000 households are currently taking advantage of the offers available, the culture secretary noted, in her letter.

Ms Dorries invited the telecoms companies to respond “on how we go further”.

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‘Tougher and tougher’
Mike – who asked the BBC not to use his last name – has been off work due to medical issues and claims Universal Credit.

Speaking on the phone to the BBC, he says he’s on the sofa wrapped in a duvet as he can’t afford to turn the heating on.

“It’s getting tougher and tougher. Obviously, with the electric going up, food prices going up – I’m starting to struggle.”

He doesn’t have a TV, and uses foodbanks; a local charity provides food vouchers and a hot meal – and recently it has given him a tablet so he can access the internet.

The internet is an essential – Mike uses it to communicate with the job centre, among many other things.

At present, he’s using the limited data that comes with his phone and the tablet – paying for broadband isn’t a possibility: “Taking extra bills on at the moment, is not something I’d want to do,” he tells the BBC.

He says he has heard a little about social tariffs, but only through the grapevine: “It’s not really put out there for you to find it easy, you’ve got to go and try and find that information”.

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Many of those struggling to pay their bills turn to Citizen’s Advice for help.

Matthew Upton, the charity’s director of policy, told the BBC: “We’re hearing shocking stories of people on the lowest incomes struggling to get by and yet they’re missing out on affordable broadband deals.

“It’s good to see the government applying more pressure on firms to do more to help people move onto social tariffs, but if it still doesn’t work they must consider other options.”

Other organisations welcome efforts to raise awareness of social tariffs, but say it won’t fix the underlying problem of rising costs and insufficient income.

Previously Ofcom found that, even on a social tariff, broadband takes up nearly 5% of the disposable income of an unemployed person claiming Universal Credit.

Rebecca McDonald, Senior Economist at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, told the BBC promoting social tariffs “is no substitute for meaningful action to protect peoples’ incomes, as we face the biggest squeeze on living standards in generations”.

“At a bare minimum, the government must increase benefits in line with inflation as soon as possible, to protect those most at risk of hardship.”

Companies urge further support
Some of the biggest telecoms companies have also called on the government to do more.

A spokesperson for Virgin Media O2 said it was speaking to the government about “ways to make sign-up easier and quicker”.

The firm said it hoped to move from a manual to an automated process to help identify individuals or families receiving Universal Credit.

BT told the BBC it offered an “at-cost” social tariff and, as living costs rise, it was “now urgent that the rest of the industry plays their part to introduce this sort of social tariff, and that government looks at what more they can do to offer further support for those who continue to struggle”.

“If the industry does not play their part, government should empower Ofcom to require this.”

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How can I get a social tariff?
Different deals are available from different broadband providers.

They are usually available to customers who receive certain government benefits – such as universal credit, pension credit, income support, jobseekers’ allowance or employment and support allowance.

Regulator Ofcom has a list of providers, how much their tariffs cost, their broadband speeds and who is eligible – you can have a look here.

Ofcom also says that as well as these tariffs, other support might be available to customers who might not be able to get online because they struggle to afford internet services.

It says if you’re struggling to pay your mobile phone or broadband bill, you should speak to your provider as soon as possible to see how they can help.

Allegations of Chinese cyber activity as the recent conflict broke out in Ukraine have been emerging.

The details appear unusually murky but one Western intelligence official believes the aim was espionage – and the cyber-attack may have been broader than previously reported.

The Times first reported that hackers, alleged to be based in China, began targeting Ukrainian websites on 23 February, the day before the invasion.

That led to questions as to whether they had advance notice of Moscow’s plans and if their intention was somehow to support Russia.

A broad set of Ukrainian government and commercial organisations were said to have been targeted by hackers, including organisations linked to nuclear power.

It is unclear how far this activity was scanning for vulnerabilities online and how many websites were actually compromised.

But the aim looks to have been espionage – stealing secrets – rather than the kind of sabotage operations which Russia was accused of carrying out just before the invasion, and when it started.

The Times cited intelligence documents – but the Ukrainian security service denied they had handed anything over and seemed to downplay the revelations, adding to confusion.

Some analysts wondered if they were worried about antagonising Beijing.

On Monday, the Chinese embassy in the UK rejected the claim and described the Times report as “sheer irresponsible talk and not credible at all”.

Russia targeted
But some Western officials believe the story is even more complex. They claim the Chinese actors went on to target systems in Russia and Belarus, as well as Poland:

“Since late February, Chinese cyber-actors have been launching cyber-attacks against government and military networks in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus,” claims one western intelligence official.

“Russia was observed to be a significant target of the recent Chinese cyber activity,” they added.

The claim cannot be independently verified, although a number of researchers and cyber-security companies say they have seen some Chinese activity and are investigating.

There are other bizarre aspects: the attacks were more amateurish and ‘noisy’ than normal, it is claimed, almost as if the hackers were less concerned about being discovered.

And the alleged Chinese hackers, in a shift from normal behaviour, are said to have launched their campaign from Western infrastructure.

Normally, they would approach their target using servers and systems around the world. but in this case it was only from Western systems.

“The scale, timing and targets of the operation indicate a significant departure,” the Western intelligence official said.

False flag
China has always dismissed accusations that it is involved in cyber-espionage and has recently been pointing the finger at Western governments, and particularly the US, over hacking into its networks.

“The targeting of both the Ukrainian and Russian targets was conducted in a non-covert way. One possible reason for this would be to try and ‘false flag’ the activity,” the intelligence official explained.

So it is possible China was taking advantage of the conflict in order to spy, not just on Ukraine but also Russia, Belarus and other countries – but perhaps trying to do so using a ‘false flag’ – so that it could try to pin any blame on Western governments.

That is one possibility, but one which Beijing is likely to deny. Trying to understand what was really happening in this case may not be easy.

Over the next five years, three new heavy-lift rockets will put thousands of satellites into low earth orbit as part of Amazon’s Project Kuiper.

The project aims to provide broadband connections using a constellation of 3,236 satellites.

Rival Starlink is said to have more than 2,300 satellites in orbit already.

The rockets will be made by Arianespace, Blue Origin – which was founded by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos – and United Launch Alliance.

Amazon says Project Kuiper aims to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband to customers including households, businesses, government agencies, disaster relief operations, mobile operators, and other organisations “working in places without reliable internet connectivity”.

Like Elon Musk’s Starlink, users will connect to the internet via a terminal that communicates with the satellites. Amazon says its experience in shipping and making products like Echo and Kindle will be useful in producing and distributing these.

“Project Kuiper will provide fast, affordable broadband to tens of millions of customers in unserved and underserved communities around the world,” said Dave Limp, senior vice-president for Amazon Devices & Services, in a statement announcing the deal.

New rockets
Amazon plans 83 launches over the next five years, saying it constitutes “the largest commercial procurement of launch vehicles in history”.

The firm plans two “prototype” missions later this year – but using a rocket made by ABL Space Systems, and not the three that will launch the bulk of the satellites.

Unlike Elon Musk’s Falcon 9 rockets, the three new rockets used for Project Kuiper’s launches are still in development.

Another satellite internet firm OneWeb, which is part-owned by the British government, recently decided to use SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets after losing access to the Russian-built Soyuz rockets it had been using, following the invasion of Ukraine.

In total Mr Musk hopes to launch as many as 30,000 Starlink satellites into space.

The value of this type of low-earth orbit satellite internet has already been demonstrated in Ukraine, where the United States Agency for International Development said, in conjunction with SpaceX, it had helped ship a total of 5,000 Starlink terminals to the country’s government.

But, as low-earth orbit becomes increasingly congested, astronomers have complained that the light reflected from these satellites as they pass overhead increasingly disrupts the view of the night’s sky.

Astro-photographer Mary McIntyre, said on Twitter: “The satellites are literally destroying our beautiful night sky.”

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There are also concerns that so many satellites in orbit exacerbates the risk of collision and the problem of space junk.