On the face of it, 2009 has been an exciting year for the UK telecoms sector with more and more people upgrading to smartphones and trials of next-generation broadband technology finally taking place. Full Article at Times Online

From The Shetland Times in the north to the Dumfries and Galloway Standard in the south, Scotland’s 90-plus weekly newspapers are enduring the most torrid time in their long, placid history. Full Article at Times Online

Media watchdog Ofcom has slammed the use of the word ‘über’, warning that the German prefix isn’t especially cool or fashionable. According to a recent report, it is, in fact, ‘rather tiresome and makes one look and sound like a twat’. Full Article at NewsBiscuit

Business secretary Lord Mandelson introduced the Digital Economy Bill at second reading yesterday. He began by explaining how the Bill is "an important part of the wider Digital Britain agenda". Full Article at ePolitix

I never expected to agree with Peter Mandelson but it has happened today. Full Article at openDemocracy

The next-generation access (NGA) network rollout, a key subject of Lord Steven Carter’s Digital Britain report published earlier in June, is starting to become shrouded in uncertainty, courtesy of next year’s general election. Full Article at VNUNet.com