BT to start broadcasting?

It is reputed that the new chairman of telephone calamity, BT, is making plans to take BT in to broadcasting. BT already has a broadcast services unit and some technical experience with the technical side of television broadcast. BT was often provider of broadcast facilities to commercial television stations for large events situated outwith the locality of television studios. Apparently, Bland, the BT chairman, does not believe that his position as chairman of the BBC causes a conflict of interest should BT make this move.

Many analysts believe that BT would be wise to depart from provision of fixed telecoms services as quickly of possible, as past mistakes have ensured that BT can no longer afford the capital investment required to modernise their network for future broadband services. BT debt was recently approaching the value of the company (£30bn debt/£38bn company). Future broadband services could be provided more cheaply over radio or the cable networks. DSL offers BT a short term solution to perhaps bleed some remaining profit from their archaic copper network.