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BT Group plc
Type Public (LSE: BT.A
NYSE: BT)
Founded 1 October 1981 (as British Telecommunications)
Headquarters London, England, UK
Area served United Kingdom
Key people Sir Michael Rake, Chairman
Ian Livingston, Chief Executive
Industry Telecommunications
Products Retail and Wholesale local, national and international telecommunications products and services,
Broadband and internet products and services,
IT and Network Solutions,
Mobile service as a Molo
Revenue £ 20,704 million (2008)
Operating income £ 2,713 million (2007)
Net income £ 2,852 million (2007)
Employees 104,399 (2005-06)
Website www.btplc.com

BT Group plc (formerly British Telecommunications plc) which trades as BT (pronounced /ˌbiːˈtiː/ bee tee) (previously known as British Telecom and still occasionally referred to by that name) is the privatised UK state telecommunications operator. A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered securities ( Stock, bonds, etc The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. The New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE) is a Stock exchange based in New York City. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Corporate titles are titles conferred on individuals as a means of identifying their function in the Organization. Ian Livingston (born July 28, 1964 in Glasgow, Scotland) Brought up in Kelvinside, his father was a Doctor and Livingston is the A chief executive officer ( CEO) or chief executive is typically the highest-ranking corporate officer ( executive) or administrator For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need MOLO is an Acronym for Mobile Other Licensed Operator. It is a term used in the United Kingdom Telecommunications market to describe a business In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common In financial and business Accounting, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT is a measure of a firm's profitability that excludes interest and income tax expenses The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Net income is equal to the Income that a firm has after subtracting costs and Expenses from the total Revenue. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of business from the Public sector (government to the Private sector (business The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located It is the dominant fixed line telecommunications and broadband Internet provider in the United Kingdom. The term broadband can have different meanings in different contexts The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks BT operates in more than 170 countries and almost a third of its revenue now comes from its Global Services division.

BT Group is the largest communications service provider in the United Kingdom. It is also one of the largest communication companies in the world.

Contents

Businesses of BT

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

BT runs the telephone exchanges, trunk network and local loop connections for the vast majority of British fixed-line telephones. In the field of Telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls In Telephony, the local loop (also referred to as a subscriber line) is the physical link or circuit that connects from the Demarcation point of the Currently BT is responsible for approximately 28 million telephone lines in the UK. Apart from Kingston Communications, which serves Kingston-upon-Hull, BT is the only UK telecoms operator to have a Universal Service Obligation (USO) which means it must provide a fixed telephone line to any address in the UK. KCOM Group is a UK communications and IT services provider It is headquartered in Kingston upon Hull, where subsidiary business unit Kingston Communications It is also obliged to provide public call boxes.

BT's businesses are operated under special government regulation by the British telecoms regulator Ofcom (formerly Oftel). The Office of Communications (Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau or as it is more often known Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the Communication The Office of Communications (Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau or as it is more often known Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the Communication BT has been found to have Significant Market Power in some markets following Market Reviews by Ofcom. In these markets, BT is required to comply with additional obligations such as meeting reasonable requests to supply services and not to discriminate.

As well as continuing to provide service in those traditional areas in which BT has an obligation to provide services or is closely regulated, BT has expanded into more profitable products and services where there is less regulation. These are principally, broadband internet service and bespoke solutions in telecommunications and information technology. The term broadband can have different meanings in different contexts Bespoke is usually a British English term for Tailored clothing (including coats suits and shirts made at a customer's request and exactly to the Information technology ( IT) as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA is "the study design development implementation support

BT Group is organised into the following business divisions:

From 1 July 2007 two additional divisions were put in place:-

History of BT

Prior to the formation of British Telecom, telecommunications were handled by the General Post Office
Prior to the formation of British Telecom, telecommunications were handled by the General Post Office
British Telecom "T" symbol, 1980–1991
British Telecom "T" symbol, 1980–1991
British Telecom logotype, 1980–1991
British Telecom logotype, 1980–1991
BT "piper" logo, 1991 - 2003. This logo can still be seen on some public telephone boxes in the UK
BT "piper" logo, 1991 - 2003. This logo can still be seen on some public telephone boxes in the UK
BT "Connected World" logo, 2003-present
BT "Connected World" logo, 2003-present

A number of privately owned telegraph companies operated in Britain from 1846 onwards. Among them were

The Telegraph Act of 1868 passed the control of all these to the newly formed GPO (General Post Office)'s "Postal Telegraphs Department"

With the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 the GPO began to provide telephone services from some of its telegraph exchanges. Electric Telegraph Company was the world's first public Telegraph company founded in the United Kingdom in 1846 by Sir William Fothergill Cooke and The Telegraph Act of 1868 (31 & 32 Vict c110 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Basic principle A traditional landline telephone system also known as "plain old telephone service" (POTS, commonly handles both signaling and audio information WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However in 1882 the Postmaster-General, Henry Fawcett started to issue licences to operate a telephone service to private businesses and the telephone system grew under the GPO in some areas and private ownership in others. The Postmaster General in the United Kingdom is a defunct ministerial position in HM Government. The GPO's main competitor the National Telephone Company emerged in this market by absorbing other private telephone companies, prior to its absorption into the GPO in 1912. The National Telephone Company (NTC was a British telephone company from 1881 until 1911 which brought together smaller local companies in the early years of the telephone Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting

The trunk network was unified under GPO control in 1896 and the local distribution network in 1912 . A few municipally owned services remained outside of GPO control. These were Kingston upon Hull, Portsmouth and Guernsey. Kingston upon Hull ( almost invariably referred History See also History of Portsmouth There have been settlements in the area since before Roman times mostly being offshoots of Portchester, which The Bailiwick of Guernsey (Bailliage de Guernesey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. Hull still retains an independent operator, Kingston Communications, though it is no longer municipally controlled. KCOM Group is a UK communications and IT services provider It is headquartered in Kingston upon Hull, where subsidiary business unit Kingston Communications

In 1969 the GPO, a government department, became the Post Office, a nationalised industry separate from government. Royal Mail is the national postal service of the United Kingdom. Post Office Telecommunications was one of the divisions. Post Office Telecommunications was set up as a separate department of the UK Post Office, in October 1969

Formation of British Telecom

The British Telecom brand was introduced in 1980. A brand is a collection of Images and ideas representing an economic producer more specifically it refers to the descriptive verbal attributes and concrete symbols such as a On 1 October 1981, this became the official name of Post Office Telecommunications, which became a state-owned corporation independent of the Post Office. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Post Office Telecommunications was set up as a separate department of the UK Post Office, in October 1969 In 1982 BT's monopoly on telecommunications was broken, with the grant of a licence to Mercury Communications. Mercury Communications was a national Telephone company in the United Kingdom.

Privatisation

The privatisation took place in 1984, with the sale of 50. 2% of the shares in the company (incorporated in 1984 as British Telecommunications plc) to the public in November.

The company changed its trading name to 'BT' on 2 April 1991. Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The remaining state holdings in the company were sold in 1991 and 1993 . In 1996 Peter Bonfield was appointed CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee, promising a "rollercoaster ride. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Sir Peter Bonfield, CBE, FREng (born 1944) is the retired Chief executive of ICL and BT Group. "[2].

In the 1990s, BT entered the Irish telecommunications market through a joint venture with the Electricity Supply Board, the Irish state owned power provider. The Electricity Supply Board (ESB (Bord Soláthair an Leictreachais (sometimes called ESB Ireland to differentiate it from US utilities is a semi-state electricity This venture, entitled Ocean, found its main success through the launch of Ireland's first subscription-free dial-up ISP, oceanfree. net. As a telecoms company it found much less success, mainly targeting corporate customers. BT acquired 100% of this venture in 1999.

In 2000, BT acquired Esat Telecom Group plc, and all its subsidiary companies, and Ireland On Line. BT Communications (Ireland Limited, (formerly Esat Telecommunications Limited is a Telecommunications and Internet company in Ireland. Ireland On-Line ( IOL) is a large ISP in the Republic of Ireland, and is owned by BT Ireland. It also purchased Telenor's minority shareholding in Esat Digifone. Telenor () is the incumbent Telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. The Esat Telecom Group was split in two: the landline and internet operations were combined with Ocean and became part of BT Ignite. Esat Group was renamed Esat BT in July 2002, and eventually BT Ireland in April 2005. BT Communications (Ireland Limited, (formerly Esat Telecommunications Limited is a Telecommunications and Internet company in Ireland. Esat Digifone became part of BT Wireless. EsatBT installed the first DSL lines in Ireland, and operate one exchange, in Limerick. Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster

BT’s attempted global alliances

MCI

In June 1994 BT and MCI launched Concert Communications Services which was a $1 billion joint venture between the two companies. MCI Communications Corp was an American Telecommunications company that was instrumental in legal and regulatory changes that led to the breakup of the AT&T Concert Communications Services was a $1 billion joint venture oiginally launched June 1994 by BT Group and MCI Communications. Its aim was to build a network which would provide easy global connectivity to multinational corporations.

This alliance progressed further on 3 November 1996 when the two companies announcement that they had entered into a full merger agreement to create a global telecommunications company to be called Concert plc, which would be incorporated in the UK with headquarters in both London and Washington DC. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) This would have given BT an entry into the US market and MCI a global reach. The merger proposition gained approval from the European Commission, the US Department of Justice and the US Federal Communications Commission and looked set to proceed. The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department

However, in light of pressure from investors reacting to the slide in BT's share price on the London Stock Exchange, BT reduced its bid price for MCI, releasing MCI from its exclusivity clause and allowing it to speak to other interested parties. The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. [3] On 1 October 1997, Worldcom made a rival bid for MCI which was followed by a counter-bid from GTE[4]. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar MCI Inc is an American Telecommunications company that is headquartered in Ashburn Virginia. GTE Corporation (formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation) was the largest of the "independent" US Telephone companies during Because MCI used its stock to leverage its purchase, as opposed to cash (used by BT), it was able to outbid BT. MCI accepted the Worldcom bid and BT pulled out of its deal with a generous severance fee of $465 million.

BT made even more money when it sold its stake in MCI to Worldcom in 1998 for £4,159 million on which it made an exceptional pre-tax profit of £1,133 million. This was advised by corporate bankers, who saw the early signs of WorldCom's collapse. As part of the deal, BT also bought out from MCI its 24. 9% interest in Concert Communications, thereby making Concert a wholly-owned part of BT.

The reaction to the failure of the deal in the City of London was critical to the future of then Chairman Iain Vallance and CEO Peter Bonfield, and the lack of confidence from the failed merger would ultimately lead to their removal. Iain David Thomas Vallance Baron Vallance of Tummel, FRSA, (born 20 May 1943) is a British businessman and a Liberal Democrat politician Sir Peter Bonfield, CBE, FREng (born 1944) is the retired Chief executive of ICL and BT Group. [5]

AT&T

As BT now owns Concert, and still wanted access to the North American market, it needed a new partner. An AT&T/BT option had been mooted in the past, but stopped on regulatory grounds due to their individual virtual monopolies in their home markets. By 1996, this had receded to the point where a deal was possible. However, the former monopolies clashed in management and culture - and the alliance never really worked from the start. Also, during the proposed MCI merger position, BT/MCI had placed a series of nominated customers inside Concert to overcome regulatory issues, leaving Concert with a sales force. On merger with AT&T, it was reversion to delivery of a series of Global products, and two competing owners - which robbed Concert of revenues and left its management disillusioned.

At its height, the Concert managed network directly reached more than 800 cities in 52 countries, and interlinked to about 240 other networks to extend access to 1,300 cities in 130 countries. Although Concert continued signing customers, its rate of revenue growth slowed, so that in 1999 David Dorman was made CEO with a brief to revive it.

In late 2000 the BT and AT&T boards fell-out - partly due to each partner's excess debt, and the resultant board/s room clear-out; partly due to Concerts $800M annual losses. AT&T recognized that Concert was a threat to its ambitions if left intact, and so negotiated a deal where Concert was split in two in 2001: North America and Eastern Asia went to AT&T, the rest of the world and $400M to BT. BT's remaining Concert assets were merged into its BT Ignite, later BT Global Solutions group [6].

2001 debt crisis

By 2001, BT had a debt of £30Bn, much of which was acquired during the bidding round for the 3rd generation mobile telephony (commonly known as 3G) licences[7]. 3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and Technology, superseding 2 3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and Technology, superseding 2 It had also failed in its series of proposed global mergers, and the funds flowing from its then virtual monopoly of the UK market place had been largely removed. It was also headed by two executives who had little support from the London Stock Exchange, particularly in light of a 60% drop in share price in 16 months[8]

The first manoeuvre was to create confidence in the management team. The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. Philip Hampton joined as CFO, and in April 2001 Sir Iain Vallance was replaced as Chairman by recognised turn around expert Sir Christopher Bland. Sir Philip Roy Hampton is the chairman of J Sainsbury plc parent company of the Sainsbury's chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom Sir (Francis Christopher Buchan Bland (born May 29, 1938) is a British businessman and politician The company then began to sell off or sell and lease back a large part of its assets.

Europe’s largest rights issue

In May 2001 BT carried out corporate Europe’s largest ever rights issue, allowing it to raise £5. 9 billion. A few days before, it also sold stakes in Japan Telecom and J-Phone Communications (a mobile operator) and in Airtel of Spain to Vodafone. Bharti Airtel, formerly known as Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited (BTVL is India 's largest cellular service provider with more than 75 million subscribers as of August Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. [9]

Sale of Yell Group, and the demerger of O2

In June 2001 BT's directory business was sold as Yell Group to a combination of private equity firms Apax Partners and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst for £2 billion. Yell Group plc ( is a leading international directories business operating in classified advertising markets in the UK US Spain and Latin America through printed online and telephone-based In Finance, private equity is an Asset class consisting of equity Securities in operating companies that are not Publicly traded on

A large demerger followed in November 2001, when the former mobile telecommunications business of BT, BT Cellnet, was hived off as a separate business named "mmO2". Telefónica Europe plc is a European Telecommunications company providing both fixed and mobile communication products usually under the styled brand O2 This included BT owned or operated networks in other countries, including BT Cellnet (UK), Esat Digifone (Ireland), and Viag Interkom (Germany). All networks now owned or operated by mmO2 (except Manx Telecom) were renamed as O2. Manx Telecom (Chellinsh Vannin is the primary Telecommunications provider in the Isle of Man. The de-merger was accomplished via a share-swap, all British Telecommunications plc shareholders received 1 mmO2 plc and 1 BT Group plc (of which British Telecommunications is now a wholly owned subsidiary) share for each share they owned. British Telecommunications plc was de-listed on 16 November, and the two new companies started trading on 19 November. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land

Aftermath

At the end of the series of sales, in October 2001 Sir Peter Bonfield resigned[10], and was replaced by former Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen[11]. Lucent Technologies was a technology company composed of what was formerly AT&T Technologies, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs. Bernardus Johannes Maria "Ben" Verwaayen (born February 11, 1952 in Driebergen) is a Dutch businessman

Having promised a "rollercoaster ride", during Bonfield's tenure the share price went from £4 to £15, and back again to £5[2]. Bonfield's salary to 31 March 2001, was a basic of £780,000 (increasing to £820,000) plus a £481,000 bonus and £50,000 of other benefits including pension. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. He also received a deferred bonus, payable in shares in three years' time, of £481,000, and additional bonuses of £3. 3 million. [12] Andreas Whittam Smith writing in The Independent newspaper called Bonfield, Chairman Vallance and Deputy Chairman Lord King "The men who broke the bank at British Telecom". Andreas Whittam Smith CBE (born 13 June, 1937, in Birkenhead, Cheshire) is a British financial Journalist, The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media. John Leonard King Baron King of Wartnaby ( August 29, 1917 - July 12, 2005) was a businessman famous for leading British Airways from [13]

mmO2 plc was replaced by O2 plc in a further share-swap in 2005, and subsequently bought in an agreed takeover by Telefónica for £18 billion and delisted[14]. Telefónica Europe plc is a European Telecommunications company providing both fixed and mobile communication products usually under the styled brand O2 Telefónica SA, (,,,,) is a Spanish telecommunication company.

BT's recent developments

In February 2005, BT acquired El Segundo, California -based telecoms giant Infonet (now re-branded BT Infonet), giving BT entry into geographies it had no presence yet. El Segundo is also the name of a champion Australian racehorse In April 2005, it bought Radianz (now rebranded as BT Radianz), which expanded BT's coverage, provided BT with more buying power in certain countries and importantly gave access to the financial markets. BT Radianz (formerly known as Radianz before being acquired by BT Group plc in 2005 operates the world's largest IP-based secure financial Extranet (RadianzNet BT Radianz (formerly known as Radianz before being acquired by BT Group plc in 2005 operates the world's largest IP-based secure financial Extranet (RadianzNet

Openreach was announced in September 2005 at the instigation of Ofcom to provide an open and equal service of provision and repair in the "last mile" of copper wire. The Office of Communications (Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau or as it is more often known Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the Communication This business was formed from 25,000 engineers previously employed by BT's Retail and Wholesale divisions. It is designed to ensure that other communications providers (CPs) have exactly the same operational conditions as parts of the BT group. It opened for business on 11 Jan 2006. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

In August 2006 BT acquired online electrical retailer Dabs.com for £30. dabscom is an e-commerce Retailer in the United Kingdom. It is one of the UK's largest internet retailers of IT and technology products 6 Million, which saw a slight increase in share price. The BT Home Hub was also launched in June 2006. The BT Home Hub is a Wireless Internet Router distributed by BT.

BT is investing 75% of its total capital spending, put at £10 billion over five years, in its new Internet Protocol (IP) based 21st century network (21CN). The Internet Protocol ( IP) is a protocol used for communicating data across a Packet-switched Internetwork using the Internet Protocol The 21st Century Network (21CN programme is the network transformation project of the UK telecommunications company BT Group plc. Annual savings of £1 billion per annum are expected when the transition to the new network is complete in 2010, with over 50% of its customers transferred by 2008. In October 2006 BT took a major step forward when the actual process that will be used to transfer the first customers on to 21CN was successfully tested at Adastral Park in Suffolk. Adastral Park is the name given to what was once the BT Research Laboratories or BT Labs based at Martlesham Heath near Ipswich in the English

In January 2007, BT acquired Sheffield based ISP, PlusNet plc, adding an additional 200,000 customers. PlusNet is an Internet Service Provider (ISP based in Sheffield in the UK and owned as of January 30th 2007 by BT Group. BT have stated that PlusNet will continue to operate separately out of their Sheffield head-office. Shortly after the acquisition, BT removed Lee Strafford (CEO) and Neil Comer (Finance Director) from the company. Neil Laycock has been confirmed as PlusNet's new CEO.

February 1, 2007 BT announced it had agreed terms to acquire International Network Services Inc. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. (“INS”), a leading global provider of IT consulting and software solutions. This professional services acquisition will increase BT's presence in North America and will significantly enhance BT's consulting capabilities.

On 20 February 2007 BT announced that Sir Michael Rake, the current chairman of accountancy firm KPMG International, is to succeed Sir Christopher Bland, who is due to step down in September[15]. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. KPMG is one of the largest Professional services firms in the world

April 20, 2007 BT announced the acquisition of Comsat International which provides network sevices to the South American corporate market. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT is a global Telecommunications company based in the USA, and with branches in Brazil, Argentina

Environment

In 2004, the BT Group signed the world's largest renewable energy deal with nPower and British Gas, and now all of their exchanges, satellite networks and offices are powered by renewable energy. BT is a member of the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change. They signed a letter urging the government to do more to tackle this problem. Janet Blake, head of global corporate social responsibility (CSR) at BT, says that she would like to see incentives that find ways of awarding those companies that focus on climate change by making investments in green business models. [16]

BT has made it clear that they have an ambitious plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. [17] Their strategy includes steps to reduce the customer's, supplier's, employee's, and their own footprints. BT has actually pledged to achieve an 90% reduction by the year 2016, which will require further efficiency improvements. [18]

Financial performance

Year ended Turnover (£m) Profit/(loss) before tax (£m) Net profit/(loss) (£m) Basic eps (p)
31 March 2008 20,704 1,976 1,738 21. Earnings per share (EPS are the earnings returned on the initial investment amount Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common 5
31 March 2007 20,223 2,484 2,852 34. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 4
31 March 2006 19,514 2,633 1,644 19. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 5
31 March 2005 18,429 2,693 1,539 18. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 1
31 March 2004 18,519 1,945 1,414 16. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 4
31 March 2003 18,727 3,157 2,702 31. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. 4
31 March 2002 18,447 1,461 1,008 12. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. 1
31 March 2001 17,141 (1,031) (1,875) (25. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. 8)
31 March 2000 18,715 2,942 2,055 31. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. 7
31 March 1999 16,953 4,295 2,983 46. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) 3
31 March 1998 15,640 3,214 1,702 26. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) 6
31 March 1997 14,935 3,203 2,077 32. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar 8
31 March 1996 14,446 3,019 1,986 31. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) 6
31 March 1995 13,893 2,662 1,731 27. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 8
31 March 1994 13,675 2,756 1,767 28. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) 5
31 March 1993 13,242 1,972 1,220 19. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) 8
31 March 1992 13,337 3,073 2,044 33. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) 2

Finance director success

After a pay rise of over 40% last year, BT's chief financial officer, Hanif Lalani, has become one of the very few UK financial directors whose annual remuneration exceeds £1 million.

In recent years, the strategy of BT plc has been to reduce its dependence on traditional voice revenues and instead obtain an increasing portion of its turnover from so-called New Wave revenues. At the heart of this strategy is BT Global Services, which has won many significant contracts in the commercial and public sectors, in part through its portrayal as a "momentum story".

There is, however, increasing disquiet among analysts that the annual growth of the Global Services business has been unimpressive, and that BT has been using prior year adjustments to achieve favourable growth figures.

Take the quarter ended 30 September 2005, for example. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. At the time, BT said the external revenues of its Global Services division were £1,740m. However, a year later, BT revised this figure downwards to £1,703m. This enabled BT to claim growth of 3. 5%, instead of the dismal 1. 3% it would have been forced to announce if it hadn't adjusted the prior year's figures.

BT has made a habit of adjusting the previous year's revenue figure every quarter. Only once in the past year has BT adjusted the figure upwards rather than downwards.

Sources

Market position and power

Market share data, Sept 2005
Market share data, Sept 2005

In 1984 the Telecommunications Act set the framework for a competitive market for telecoms services by abolishing BT's exclusive right to provide services. In the early 1990's the market was opened up and a number of new national Public Telecommunications Operators (PTOs) were given licences. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) This ended the duopoly that had existed in the 1980's when only BT and Mercury were licensed to provide fixed line telecom networks in the UK. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)

Recent and future plans

See also: Local loop unbundling and System X (telephony)

BT's "Web patent"

In 2001 BT discovered it owned a patent (U.S. Patent 4,873,662 ) which it believed gave it patent rights on the use of hyperlink technology on the World Wide Web. Local loop unbundling ( LLU) is the regulatory process of allowing multiple Telecommunications operators use of connections from the Telephone exchange 's System X was the name of the UK's first national Digital Telephone exchange system A patent is a set of Exclusive rights granted by a State to an inventor or his assignee for a fixed period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an In computing a hyperlink is a Reference or Navigation element in a Document to another Section of the same document or to another The World Wide Web (commonly shortened to the Web) is a system of interlinked Hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. The corresponding UK patent had already expired, but the US patent was valid until 2006. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Opponents of BT's claim held that the patent had never been valid, due to prior art by both Douglas Engelbart and Ted Nelson's Project Xanadu. Dr Douglas C Engelbart (born January 30 1925 is an American Inventor. Theodor Holm Nelson (born 1937 is an American Sociologist, Philosopher, and pioneer of Information technology. Project Xanadu was the first Hypertext project Founded in 1960 by Ted Nelson, the project contrasts its vision with that of paper "Today's popular software Nevertheless on February 11, 2002, BT began a court case relating to its claims in a US federal court against the Internet service provider Prodigy Communications Corporation. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. An Internet service provider ( ISP, also called Internet access provider or IAP) is a company which primarily offers their customers access to the Internet This article refers to the now defunct Prodigy Communications Corporation that was purchased by SBC Communications Inc The U. S. court ruled on August 22, 2002 that the BT patent was not applicable to Web technology, and granted Prodigy's request for summary judgement. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. See BT’s “Hyperlinking” Patent Litigation Fails. The issue of prior art was thus not addressed.

Controversy

Data pimping

Main article: Data pimping

In early 2008 it was announced that BT had entered into a contract (along with Virgin Media and Talk Talk) with the former spyware company Phorm (responsible under their 121Media guise for the Apropos rootkit)[21][22] to intercept and analyse their users' click-stream data, and sell the anonymised aggregate information as part of Phorm's OIX advertising service. Data pimping is a Pejorative term used to describe the act of an Internet service provider (ISP profiting from the sale of its users' personal clickstream data Virgin Media Inc (formerly known as ntlTelewest, after a merger of NTL Incorporated with Telewest Global Inc TalkTalk is the Landline Telephone and ISP business of The Carphone Warehouse and was launched in 2003 under the directorship Such content will be deleted Specific software is to be mentioned in this article only Phorm, formerly known as 121Media, is a Digital technology company based in London, New York, and Moscow. A rootkit is a computer virus which consists of a program (or combination of several programs designed to take fundamental control (in Unix terms "root" [23][24] The practice, which has become known as "data pimping", came under intense fire from various internet communities and other interested-parties who believe that the interception of data is illegal under UK law (RIPA). Data pimping is a Pejorative term used to describe the act of an Internet service provider (ISP profiting from the sale of its users' personal clickstream data [25][26][27][28] At a more fundamental level, many have argued that the ISPs and Phorm have no right to sell a commodity (a user's data) to which they have no claim of ownership. In response to questions about Phorm and the interception of data by the Webwise system Sir Tim Berners-Lee is quoted as saying:

"It's mine - you can't have it. Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee OM KBE FRS FREng FRSA (born 8 June 1955 is an English computer scientist who is credited If you want to use it for something, then you have to negotiate with me. " - Sir Tim Berners-Lee: 2008[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Two new BT businesses after a radical shake-up", Financial Times, April 25, 2007. BT Mobile is a Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO in the UK which uses the Vodafone UK network BT Communications (Ireland Limited, (formerly Esat Telecommunications Limited is a Telecommunications and Internet company in Ireland. BT Vision is a service provided in the United Kingdom supplied by BT Retail. Telecomsoft was the Computer software division of British telecommunications company British Telecom (now BT Prestel (abbrev from press telephone) the brand name for the UK Post Office 's Viewdata technology was an interactive Videotex system developed Telefónica Europe plc is a European Telecommunications company providing both fixed and mobile communication products usually under the styled brand O2 BT Archives is an archive preserving the documentary heritage of BT and its Public sector predecessors The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United Beatrice Bellman, more commonly known as Beattie, was a character from a series of Television Advertisements by British Telecom, famously played Telecom Gold (sometimes also known as BT Gold) was an early commercial Electronic mail service launched by British Telecom in 1982. Buzby - the yellow (or later orange talking cartoon bird was launched c BT's Customer Service System (CSS is the core operational support system for BT bringing in 70% of income for the company (figures from 1997 The Financial Times ( FT) is a British international business Newspaper. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Retrieved on 2007-04-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.  
  2. ^ a b BBC News | BUSINESS | Sir Peter Bonfield: A profile
  3. ^ MCI to weigh WorldCom bid as BT merger process grinds on
  4. ^ GTE Plans a $25 Billion Cash Bid to Make It a 3-Way Fight : Battle to Acquire MCI Heats Up - International Herald Tribune
  5. ^ MCI and WorldCom - How British Telecom Fell Short at Competitive Intelligence
  6. ^ Articles
  7. ^ BBC News | BUSINESS | BT attacks debt mountain
  8. ^ BBC News | BUSINESS | Vallance resigns from BT
  9. ^ http://www.cfoeurope.com/displayStory.cfm/1737063
  10. ^ BBC News | BUSINESS | BT chief quits early
  11. ^ BBC News | BUSINESS | BT lures Lucent boss with £7m package
  12. ^ BT's Sir Peter Bonfield stands to gain extra £3.3m in share bonuses
  13. ^ Andreas Whittam Smith: The men who broke the bank at British Telecom
  14. ^ BBC NEWS | Business | Telefonica bids £18bn for UK's O2
  15. ^ Datamonitor ComputerWire - BT Appoints New Chairman to Replace Bland
  16. ^ Interview: CSR delivers £2.2bn for BT - 30 Oct 2006 - IT Week
  17. ^ Climate change
  18. ^ Climate change - BT's Vision and Strategy
  19. ^ BBC NEWS | Technology | Xbox will host BT's TV service
  20. ^ Laura Bundock (2008-05-08). 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Go Online Anywhere: BT's New Service. Sky News. Sky News is a rolling TV news channel providing 24 hour news coverage including the latest breaking news
  21. ^ F-Secure Spyware Information Pages: Apropos
  22. ^ F-Secure Spyware Information Pages: PeopleOnPage
  23. ^ ISP data deal with former 'spyware' boss triggers privacy fears
  24. ^ How Phorm plans to tap your internet connection
  25. ^ Web users angry at ISPs' spyware tie-up
  26. ^ Data pimping: surveillance expert raises illegal wiretap worries
  27. ^ Net think thank: Phorm is illegal
  28. ^ The Phorm “Webwise” System - a Legal Analysis
  29. ^ Web creator rejects net tracking

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