Apple's App Store prices in Poland, Sweden; Amazon's construction plans in Spain

TOP NEWS IN TMT

* Apple Inc. will increase the prices of apps and in-app purchases on the App Store, excluding auto-renewable subscriptions, in Poland and Sweden, as well as all territories using the euro currency. The price hike will be effective Oct. 5 and will also cover Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Malaysia and Vietnam, among others.

* Amazon.com Inc. paused the construction of new warehouses in Spain until 2024, with the company's suppliers and partners being told to "wait and see" amid a slowdown in COVID-19-driven online shopping, Reuters reported, citing El Confidencial. Amazon planned to add 2,000 new jobs in Spain this year to push up its total payroll in the country to 20,000.

➤ Q&A: Satellites to play key role in broadband's hybrid future, Hughes exec says

Hughes Network Systems LLC is investing in more advanced and hybrid technologies to bolster its position in the competitive satellite broadband market.

➤ Technology: Q2'22 smartphone shipments decline YOY for 4th consecutive quarter

Macroeconomic factors in the second quarter drained consumer demand, negated most gains from improvements to the supply chain and led to an 8.4% drop in estimated smartphone shipments year over year.

TECHNOLOGY

* VK Co. Ltd.'s Russian mobile app store, RuStore, is allowing private individuals to upload apps on the platform, Telecompaper reported, citing Prime. RuStore was launched in cooperation with Russia's digitalization ministry.

* Denmark's ministry of culture said the country is joining an international alliance that aims to regulate large foreign tech companies. The alliance aims to combat disinformation and ensure diverse content is available on digital platforms. Alliance members include Canada, France, Germany, Finland, Mexico, South Korea and Australia.

* French IT company Atos SE teamed up with Working Group Two AS to deliver "core-network-as-a-service" solutions. The solution will help operators to optimize capacity, improve time to market, lower costs and simplify operations.

INTERNET & OTT

* German internet company United Internet AG will hold an initial public offering for Ionos Inc., its web hosting and cloud subsidiary, in 2023, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

* Banijay Group SAS subsidiary Endemol France chose French smart-video platform OKAST SAS to launch its free ad-supported streaming TV platforms on the market, Advanced Television reported.

MEDIA

* Shares in TF1 SA dropped 2.3% and Groupe M6 shares fell 6.3% in early session trading on Sept. 19 after the French broadcasters scrapped their merger deal, Reuters reported.

* U.K.-headquartered media company Future PLC's CEO, Zillah Byng-Thorne, will be stepping down in the second half of 2023, Sky News reported. A search for a replacement has yet to begin.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

* Telia Lietuva AB announced it will be completing the last stage of its 3G network disconnection before Christmas, Telecompaper reported. The operator started shutting down parts of its 3G base stations early this year.

* MTN Nigeria Communications PLC partnered with Ericsson to launch 5G services. Phase one of the launch will cover parts of Lagos and Nigeria. Ericsson's 5G Radio Access Network and NSA Packet Core are being used in the 5G deployment.

FILM & TV

* ITV PLC secured live broadcasting rights for the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Scotland and Ukraine.

* German telco Deutsche Telekom AG is launching the Fußball.TV 1 channel on its streaming service MagentaTV, DWDL reported.

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Anne Freier, Sylvia Edwards Davis, Marieke Pijnappels and Esben Svendsen contributed to this report.

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