Technology News (Reuters)

Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange and five other telecoms providers have agreed to share mobile phone location data with the European Commission to track the spread of the coronavirus, lobbying group GSMA said on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization is impressed by the offers of technology to help fight the coronavirus, but privacy and human rights must be protected, Michael Ryan, WHO's top emergencies expert said on Wednesday.

Streaming service Netflix Inc has fixed a temporary outage that affected some users in the United States and United Kingdom on Wednesday, the company said.

Telecoms industry group GSMA said on Wednesday it would refund tickets bought for the Mobile World Congress last month after the trade fair in Barcelona became one of the first business casualties of the coronavirus pandemic.

Telecom Italia's (TIM) network can cope with the surge in traffic driven by the coronavirus crisis, CEO Luigi Gubitosi was quoted as saying on Wednesday, as U.S. activist hedge fund Elliott Management cut its stake in the group.

A U.S. cybersecurity firm said Wednesday it has detected a surge in new cyberspying by a suspected Chinese group dating back to late January, when coronavirus was starting to spread outside China.

Spotify Technology SA said on Wednesday it had launched a COVID-19 music relief project to raise funds for musicians as the coronavirus pandemic grounds life to a halt in most countries, while taking a toll on the economy.

Walmart Inc's Flipkart will resume e-commerce services for essential products after receiving federal and state government assurances on the safety of its delivery staff and a hassle-free supply chain.

People should avoid using the microwave at the same time as they are making video calls, watching HD videos or doing something important online because the ovens can slow wifi signals, Britain's media regulator Ofcom said on Wednesday.

France will roll out a 4 billion euro ($4.33 billion) liquidity support plan for start-ups in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, junior minister Cédric O said on Wednesday.

E.ON, Germany's largest energy group, has been hired by Tesla to design the energy solutions for its planned Gigafactory near Berlin, chief executive Johannes Teyssen said.

Facebook Inc said on Tuesday the coronavirus outbreak was undercutting sales of the advertising that accounts for nearly all of its revenue, even as more users spend time on the social network during virus-related lockdowns.

Apple Inc could start re-opening some of its retail stores in the first half of April, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing an internal memo.

Streaming service Netflix Inc and social media giant Facebook Inc said on Tuesday they would reduce the amount of data their services use to ease congested telecoms networks in India, where millions are using home internet amid a lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Facebook Inc is in talks to buy a multi billion dollar stake in Reliance Industries Ltd's telecom unit, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.

Amazon.com Inc's India unit on Tuesday said it will halt orders for non-essential products in India to prioritize customers' critical needs at a time when much of the country is under lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Some viewers in Britain complained they were struggling to sign up for Disney+ as the video streaming service launched on Tuesday in Europe, where networks have come under huge strain due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Facebook Inc's Instagram said on Tuesday it would remove coronavirus-related content and accounts from recommendations and its "explore" option, unless posted by or belonging to credible health organizations.

Chipmaker Intel Corp said on Tuesday it would suspend its share buybacks and warned that the coronavirus pandemic could have a material impact on its business, even as its factories remain operational.

Netflix Inc said on Tuesday it would reduce traffic over telecom networks in India by 25% over the next 30 days to ease data congestion as millions stay indoors because of the coronavirus pandemic.