Mercury, the main competitor to British Telecom, yesterday opposed construction of a national fibre-optic “superhighway”. However, it supported lifting the ban on BT providing entertainment services in return for a more favourable regulatory regime.
Lord Young, the chairman of Cable & Wireless, Mercury’s parent company, told the Commons trade and industry committee that he favoured the development of competing local networks to deliver services rather than a BT fibre-optic monopoly at a local level.
Lord Young claimed the company would support a ban on BT carrying entertainment over its network, “provided we have economic access to the BT network.”
The Cable Television Association also opposed a national fibre grid.
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