Business
Water bills to rise further for millions after appeal
Faarea MasudBusiness reporter
Getty ImagesMillions of households in England will have to pay higher water bills than previously announced after the UK’s competition body agreed to let five water companies increase charges.
The companies – Anglian, Northumbrian, Southern, Wessex and South East – had asked for permission to raise bills by more than the amount previously agreed by the regulator, Ofwat.
They argued the rises set by Ofwat – which average 36% over the next five years – were not enough to deliver better infrastructure.
A panel appointed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has now said the bills can rise on average by an extra 3% – about £12 per year – partly due to the companies facing higher borrowing costs.
An independent group of experts appointed by the CMA said that Anglian and Northumbrian could increase their bills by a further 1%, Southern by 3%, South East by 4% and Wessex by 5%.
The five water companies serve more than 7 million household and business customers, and had asked for much larger increases to bills than the ones granted.
The group appointed by the CMA said the firms had asked to increase bills to raise a total of £2.7bn in extra revenue, but it had allowed only 21% of this, equating to an additional £556m.
“We’ve found that water companies’ requests for significant bill increases, on top of those allowed by Ofwat, are largely unjustified,” said Kirstin Baker, who chaired the group of experts.
“We understand the real pressure on household budgets and have worked to keep increases to a minimum, while still ensuring there is funding to deliver essential improvements at reasonable cost.”
The CMA’s proposals are provisional and Ofwat and the water firms have a chance to respond before the CMA’s final conclusion in a few months.
Water companies finance much of their investment plans with borrowed money. The CMA said part of the reason it had allowed a rise was because interest rates on those loans have risen, making it more expensive for the firms to carry out their plans.
Troubled firm Thames Water also appealed for higher price rises, but has deferred its case until late October while it tries to fix a rescue bid.
Water firms have been told by authorities to fix outdated infrastructure which has been found to be the cause of much river and water pollution. The Environment Agency said serious pollution incidents by water firms went up by around 60% in a year.
Water Minister Emma Hardy said she expected every water company to “offer proper support to anyone struggling to pay”.
Citizens Advice’s Anne Pardoe said: “Ramping up water bills, when people up and down the country are already rationing showers and cutting down on laundry, is going to stretch budgets beyond breaking point”.
She called for the introduction of a national social tariff, in order to help people from low-income households pay for essential bills. Social tariffs are offered by some companies offering services such as broadband and energy, and allow those on benefits access to cheaper bills, although criteria differ from firm to firm.
The CMA’s findings will lead to an additional increase on average of “£1 per household, per month” for customers of the water firms that appealed, said David Henderson, chief executive of Water UK which represents water firms.
When asked by the BBC’s Today programme why the firms themselves could not pay for the needed upgrades, Mr Henderson said shareholders had already invested a lot of their own money, and eight water firms had made a loss in 2024.
“They [investors] don’t have to put money into this sector, they don’t even have to put money into this country,” he said, adding that many “haven’t made a profit in years. This isn’t an industry awash with cash. It is an industry providing vital infrastructure”.
Business
Tech spectrum tussle: US majors push Wi-Fi use for entire 6GHz band as Jio, Vi seek mobile allocation; Airtel, Qualcomm call for deferment – The Times of India
US technology giants Apple, Amazon, Cisco, Meta, HP and Intel have jointly opposed demands from Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea to allocate spectrum in the 6GHz band for mobile services, instead urging that the entire band be reserved for Wi-Fi use, reported PTI.In a joint response to Trai’s consultation paper for the next round of spectrum auctions, the companies said technical and commercial readiness in the 6GHz band “is not established” for mobile services and asked the government to avoid setting timelines for auction of the 6425-6725 MHz and 7025-7125 MHz ranges.“We do not recommend setting timelines for any future auction of the 6425-6725 MHz and 7025-7125 MHz ranges for IMT… TRAI, together with the Department of Telecommunications, should review the allocation of the upper 6 GHz band following the outcomes of WRC-27,” the joint submission said, adding that any unused upper 6GHz spectrum should be made available for unlicensed use in the interim.The government has said 400 MHz of 6GHz spectrum is immediately available for auction, an additional 300 MHz will be available by 2030, and 500 MHz in the lower band will be delicensed for low-power applications such as Wi-Fi.Jio has demanded inclusion of the entire 1200 MHz available in the 6GHz band in the auction, even though the government has decided to delicense 500 MHz in the lower range. Vodafone Idea has sought the sale of 400 MHz currently available for use. Airtel has asked the government to defer auction of the 6GHz band due to concerns over device availability, equipment readiness and global harmonisation.Qualcomm echoed similar concerns, stating, “The upper 6 GHz band is critical for mobile growth in India… By deferring the auction… until after WRC-27, India safeguards its 6G future, aligns with global standards, and honours its leadership aspirations.”Telecom industry body COAI, whose members include Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea, opposed delicensing. “Delicensing is misleading and counterproductive… Licensed IMT spectrum ensures quality-of-service, predictable performance and nationwide scalability,” COAI said, warning that allowing unlicensed Wi-Fi deployments could reduce exchequer revenues and give “disproportionate advantage to foreign OTT players”.The newly identified 6425-6725 MHz and 6725-7125 MHz bands form part of the upper 6GHz range, while the 5925-6425 MHz band has been earmarked for unlicensed low-power applications.
New Delhi: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Sunday met with Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, to further strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Israel.
During the discussions, Goyal conveyed warm greetings from the people of India and highlighted opportunities for deeper collaboration across trade, investment, innovation, and technology.
During the meeting, Goyal shared the positive outcomes of the recently held Business Forum and CEOs Forum, which brought together business leaders from both countries. He also underscored the first major step towards Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, highlighting its potential to boost economic engagement and facilitate bilateral trade.
In a post on social media platform X, he wrote, “Honoured to call on H.E. @Isaac_Herzog, President of the State of Israel. Conveyed the warm greetings of the people of India. Our discussions covered the full spectrum of our strategic partnership, including trade and investment, science & technology, innovation, and deeper economic engagement.”
Goyal emphasised India’s robust growth story and the wide-ranging opportunities available for Israeli partners in sectors such as science and technology, innovation, and investment. The discussions reflected a mutual commitment to deepening economic ties and leveraging each country’s strengths for strategic and commercial collaboration, he added.
“Shared the positive outcomes of the Business Forum and the CEOs Forum, and the first big step towards FTA negotiations. Also underlined India’s robust growth story and the wide-ranging business opportunities for Israeli partners,” the post added.
Earlier, during his meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Goyal highlighted the successful Business Forum and CEOs Forum, which attracted over 60 members of the Indian business delegation.
During his visit to Israel, Goyal held a series of wide-ranging engagements, further strengthening bilateral cooperation across agriculture, technology, innovation and trade. During his meetings on 21 November, Goyal met with Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Avi Dichter for a detailed discussion on advancing agricultural collaboration.
Minister Dichter briefed Goyal on Israel’s 25-year food security roadmap, its advanced seed-improvement strategies, and the country’s global leadership in water-reuse technologies for agriculture.
Earlier, on 20 November 2025, Goyal commenced his official engagements with a meeting with Israel’s Minister of Economy, Barkat. The two leaders reviewed the current trajectory of bilateral trade and explored new areas of cooperation.
Business
‘Stakes are high.’ With shutdown over, airlines predict record numbers of travelers this Thanksgiving
A travelers check flight information at LAX as the shutdown passes the one-month mark, leaving essential workers unpaid in Los Angeles, California, on November 5, 2025.
Grace Hie Yoon | Anadolu | Getty Images
U.S. airlines are predicting another record Thanksgiving holiday travel period and are upbeat now that the travel-snarling government shutdown has ended.
Airlines will carry more than 31 million people between Friday, Nov. 21, and Monday, Dec. 1, Airlines for America, a lobbying group representing the largest U.S. carriers, predicted Thursday. The busiest days are expected to be the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with about 3.4 million people flying, followed by the Monday after Thanksgiving, with around 3.1 passengers.
Airline executives have expressed relief after the longest-ever government shutdown ended Nov. 12. Shortages of air traffic controllers, who were required to work without their regular pay, delayed and canceled flights, disrupting travel plans for some 6 million people, A4A said.
The industry is now pushing lawmakers to pass legislation to ensure that air traffic controllers are paid in the case of another shutdown, with executives complaining in recent weeks about air travel becoming a political bargaining chip. The latest bill funds the government only through January, so industry members are hoping to avoid a repeat of the closure just before winter break and spring break seasons begin.
Bank of America estimated the big network airlines could see an operating income hit of $150 million to $200 million and smaller carriers would see an impact of $100 million because of the shutdown, but airlines haven’t yet come out with revised estimates.
Some travelers appeared to be waiting until the shutdown ended before booking their travel.
United Airlines said bookings between Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 were up 16% compared with the prior weekend, when air travel disruptions spiked.
The carrier also said bookings for international trips are at a record for the holiday period, up 10% over last year, with Cancun, Mexico, and major European hubs in London and Frankfurt, Germany, as top destinations.
Overall, United forecast it will fly 6.6 million customers between Nov. 20 and Dec. 2., up more than 4% from last year.
The largest U.S. carriers’ international capacity is up about 5% between Nov. 26 and Nov. 30 compared with a similar period last year, according to aviation-data firm Cirium, while domestic capacity is about 2% higher.
American Airlines said it plans to run 80,759 flights from Nov. 20 through Dec. 2., more than any airline.
“The Thanksgiving holiday period is one of the most condensed and most important for our customers — the stakes are high, and the American team is ready to deliver,” American’s Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said in a news release.
Not all airlines have beefed up their schedules, however. Budget carrier Spirit Airlines, in its second bankruptcy in less than a year, has slashed capacity and furloughed hundreds of pilots to cut costs as it seeks to find more solid financial footing.
Spirit’s domestic flying capacity is down close to 40% from a year earlier, Cirium data shows.
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