A little like oom really from my point of view - I believe they are the favoured company within their sector and despite the markets - Oftel and the G3 nonsense they will climb back. They pay a divi and this wioll be seen to be increasingly important in the days to come. They have new management and are looking to enhance shareholder value .....

I hold and swing trade a few and not adverse to intraday trading them.

ains


BT in web-based investor relations drive

London, February 7 2003, (netimperative)



by Chris Lake

BT is launching a web-based scheme which it hopes will improve communications with its retail shareholders and help cut costs.


Dubbed 'ShareholderPlus', the system allows investors to sign up and receive BT communications - such as reports, news releases, mandates and, subject to a change in the law, electronic tax vouchers - by email, rather than by post.

BT said this will help it achieve cost savings - by not having to print and despatch reports - and pointed out that it is also good for the environment.

Furthermore, it has negotiated a number of deals with companies such as Virgin Wines, Apollo Travel, RSA and National Car Rental, to market the service and said it will add new offers in the future if it proves to be a success.

BT claims to be one of the first FTSE100 companies to launch such a programme, though it is likely that more will follow.

www.btplc.com/shareholderplus

LONDON (AFX) - BT Group PLC, the UK's dominant residential telecom supplier, has applied for a High Court injunction to stop strike action by BT engineers.

"We are questioning whether the strike ballot process was carried out correctly and there is an issue over whether the correct notice was given," said a BT Retail spokesman.

The planned strike, set for Monday, stems from a dispute between the union and its voluntary Self Motivated Teams bonus scheme.

The company claims about 6,000 of its 14,000 engineers have already signed up for the scheme and since it started in January they have each earned, on average, an extra 62 stg a week.

But the Communication Workers Union claims the scheme is divisive and puts staff under pressure to increase productivity.

"Also it is not going to be voluntary in the longer term, and it works on a point system which varies depending on location and duties," said a CWU spokesman. The union represents about 13,000 of BT's engineers.

The previous scheme was based on working overtime.

If the union goes ahead with its plans, a 24-hour strike on April 14 would be followed by action on April 25 and April 28.

tf/rn/ak

I note that Durlatcher are getting increasingly nervous about their trading short recommendation :-))




ains

BB is vital and this kind of low leval activity will help over time


BT helps ADSL campaigners
By Tim Richardson Register
Posted: 11/04/2003 at 14:19 GMT


BT Wholesale is trying to make life easier for its unpaid army of volunteers who are trying to muster enough support to get their local exchange converted to ADSL.

It's just launched a new service designed to provide support and encouragement for campaign groups trying to generate enough interest for the telco to cough up and upgrade their exchange.

As well as tips and advice, local campaigners can also send off for promotional material such as leaflets and stickers to help promote the telco's ADSL broadband demand registration scheme.

BT Wholesale says it will print and distribute leaflets on behalf of individual campaigns, provide copy for local papers and magazines and also supply advertising material.

3rd in the top 100 risers list intraday @ 185p - up 5.41% against the sector @ 1.79% and the market @ 1.83% ...... two month high ..... which is nice



ains

Outperforming market and sector at plus 1.51% @ 185p


LOS ANGELES (AFX) - CB Richard Ellis, a real estate service company headquartered in Los Angeles, and BT Commercial, one of the largest full-service brokerages in Northern California, said discussions regarding the merger of their respective San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento brokerage operations have been suspended indefinitely.
A recent announcement confirmed that discussions between the two firms were being pursued "pending a successful resolution of conditions required of such a transaction".

CB Richard Ellis president Brett White said: "Both CB Richard Ellis and BT Commercial agree that the strategic merits of the proposed merger remain compelling. However, the near term integration challenges proved extremely complex. We soon concluded that attempting to simultaneously integrate the Northern California operations of all three firms at this time would lead us to a less than optimal result."

As to when the discussions might resume, both Brett White and Mike Kamm of BT Commercial agreed that no timetable exists, and no further discussions are planned at present.

newsdesk@afxnews.com slm/

BT supports broadband campaigners

16 April 2003
- by Veronique De Freitas



BT has launched a new website supporting local community groups that are campaigning to bring high-speed internet connection to small towns and villages.

Campaign in a Box helps locals boost broadband demand around their neighbourhood with practical advice on successful campaigning.

Currently around a third of the UK cannot get ADSL services via their telephone line. The website offers tips on starting a campaign, a list of areas with current campaigns and an order form for campaign leaflets and posters.

Philippa Winterburn, BT Wholesale's head of broadband marketing said: "The key to successful local broadband awareness campaigns has been the energy and drive of the individuals who can see what broadband will mean for them and their communities. Their enthusiasm is infectious and highly effective at a local level."

Campaign in a Box is accessible via BT's broadband website, by clicking on Broadband Campaigns.


Related items:
www.bt.com/broadband

Tribunal agrees with oftel and dismisses complaint

outperforming sector and market today @ 188p - up 3.59%

Still trying to get through and hold 190p



10:08 Thursday 24th April 2003
Reuters


Telecoms companies reported their earnings this week, signals indicate that the worst may be over
A ray of light broke through the gloomy telecommunications sector on Wednesday as earnings results from a number of companies demonstrated their ability to manage through a difficult environment.

Long-distance telephone company AT&T and BellSouth both swung to a profit in the first quarter, despite lower revenues, on reduced costs and capital spending.



Nextel Communications, the fifth-largest wireless telephone company, posted a 21 percent jump in revenue, thanks to its unique walkie-talkie-like service, popular with big-spending business customers.

Even troubled equipment maker Lucent Technologies posted a narrower-than-expected loss as its revenue grew sequentially and it posted strong profit margins.

The shares of all three companies rose, as did the North American Telecommunications Index.

The gains repaired the sector's sell-off earlier in the week, after Sprint, the No. 4 US long-distance company, posted weak first-quarter revenues and cut its earnings and revenue forecasts for the year.

After the market closed, wireless operator AT&T Wireless Services and cell phone chipmaker Qualcomm posted solid quarterly results on higher revenues.

The beginning of a turnaround?
"We think the bear market's over," said Nicholas Gerber, portfolio manager of Ameristock Mutual Fund. "In the bear market, any bad news gets exaggerated and any good news gets discounted. Now we're beginning to see a change of that. Bad news still gets exaggerated, but so does good news."

"The big question is, 'Is this the beginning of the rising tide that lifts all ships?" said independent telecommunications analyst Jeff Kagan.

"Unless you believe that telecoms is irrelevant in the future, which no one believes, you've got to believe that there's going to come an inflection point," he said.

The telecommunications industry has been undergoing a period of transition as people spend less time on traditional phones and more time on email and cell phones. High-speed Internet networks have been cutting into the number of telephone access lines in service.

Local telephone companies have entered the long-distance market with aggressive price promotions and discounted packages of local, long-distance, Internet and wireless services.

Meanwhile, a slowdown in the economy has caused telecommunications companies to cut back on capital spending, hurting equipment companies like Lucent. Competition among cell phone operators has intensified amid slowing customer growth.

New York-based AT&T said earnings from continuing operations rose 18.6 percent to $529m (332m), widely beating analysts' expectations. The company said its full-year results would meet or beat its previous forecasts.

"While the trend line is still negative as far as revenue declines go, it's fair to say that things seem to be stabilising," said Raj Dave, a debt analyst with Commerzbank Securities.

Nextel reports 'incredible quarter'
Atlanta-based BellSouth, the dominant local phone company in nine Southeastern states from Kentucky to Florida, said earnings, excluding one-time items, fell but still beat analysts' estimates.

Including its Cingular Wireless joint venture with SBC Communications, revenue fell 4 percent to $6.9bn. Cingular increased its revenue slightly while adding 189,000 new customers after two straight quarters of losses.

Reston, Virginia-based Nextel posted a quarterly profit that widely beat analyst expectations as customer turnover fell to a four-year low.

"What an incredible first quarter, especially in light of Sprint's poor numbers," said Todd Bernier, wireless analyst with Morningstar. "They continually are grabbing share."

Nextel's results contrasted sharply with the No. 4 US wireless operator Sprint, which posted a wider loss and revenue that fell short of expectations.

Lucent reported a slightly wider second-quarter loss, but earnings before one-time items also topped Wall Street's expectations.

AT&T Wireless on Wednesday posted a first-quarter profit and revenues rose as its customer base increased.

Qualcomm posted a higher net profit and revenue, helped by demand for its advanced cell phone chips that allow users to surf the Web at high speeds.

Shares of AT&T closed up $3.20, or 23.2 percent, at $17.01, where they were the second-most actively-traded issue.

BellSouth closed up $2.50, or 11.5 percent, at $24.21, and Lucent rose 4 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $1.72. Nextel shares rose $1.32, or 10.7 percent, to $13.67 on the Nasdaq.

Overall, the North American Telecommunications Index rose 6.5 percent, compared with an increase of less than 1 percent by the broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

(Additional reporting by Ben Klayman in Chicago and Jessica Hall in Philadelphia)

BT division moves to Brussels
[Communications Update 24 April 2003]

BT Global Services has announced that its executive team, currently based in London is to relocate and join its Business Services and Solutions division in existing facilities close to Brussels airport. The location has central links to transport and business amenities in Europe and has also been selected as the base for the companys new Network Control Centre. The company hopes that the move will be seen as an indication of their commitment to the European market.

BT seeks services role
By Martin Courtney, IT Week [28-04-2003]
The carrier aims to lead multi-supplier outsourcing and services contracts for corporates




BT Global Services has said it can cut the cost of corporate network operations by up to 50 percent for firms that sign up to its outsourcing deals.

"It takes a leap of faith but it is not completely stupid to think that we can run the network [for firms]," said Pierre Danon, chief executive of BT Retail. He stressed that BT would use the skills of multiple partners, such as Accenture, Computacenter, Cisco and Nortel, to deliver many services.

The carrier is currently working with IT consultancy Accenture to manage a contract for retailer Sainsbury's, delivering an entire new network, including WAN and LAN infrastructure, as well as desktop PC management, across the company's 400 UK stores, providing services such as virtual private network (VPN) links, data storage, email and IP telephony.

Richard Holway of analyst firm Ovum Holway said that BT's strategy of sub-contracting parts of each deal makes sense. This approach could deliver savings to some companies - but not all.

"Multisourcing [in this way] is much easier, because the customer can change one of the components rather than being blackmailed for the whole of the contract," Holway commented, adding that outsourcing is currently a growth area in an otherwise depressed IT industry.

BT itself will focus on delivering WAN links, though it is not clear whether the carrier's existing frame relay and ATM-based infrastructure is suited to the task.

"We are moving from frame relay and private virtual circuits to IP-based networks, focusing on replacement with MPLS connections and getting peer-to-peer communications between offices," said Andy Green, chief executive of BT Global Services.

BT Midband to cost 35 a month
By Tim Richardson
Posted: 28/04/2003 at 11:14 GMT


BT's "midband" service - a 128k Net access product based on ISDN and aimed at people who can't get broadband - is to cost significantly more and do even less than the telco's entry-level ADSL service.

When details of BT Midband were first raised in November last year it was suggested that the service would cost around 25-30 a month - the same(ish) as existing BT's ADSL services.

But documents seen by The Register reveal that BT Midband is to cost 35 a month and limit users to up to 150 hours online a month.

The service goes live on June 1. BT is expected to make a formal announcement about BT Midband later this week.

BT Midband is based on the telco's Home Highway ISDN service and should be available to around 97 per cent of the UK population.

Ordinarily, BT Midband chugs along at speeds of up to 64k. However, when users need to download a large file, for example, it automatically ramps up to 128k.

But - and it's a big but - using the service at the quicker speed eats up users' allotted 150 hours online more quickly and means customers get less time on the Net.

So, in normal usage punters will get somewhere between 75 and 150 hours a month for their 35. Anyone exceeding this cap will be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis although unused hours can be carried over from month to month.

According to the monster telco, BT Midband is "an alternative flat rate (fixed monthly fee), high-speed Internet package" and is "not intended to be an 'always on' service".

The service has a two-hour session limit although punters will be able to sign on again immediately after they've been disconnected.

BT denies the service is a "poor substitute" for broadband insisting that it is a "significant improvement on standard dial-up connections" and will "meet the needs of a great many of our customers".

Earlier hopes that the service might be linked with an always-on email service have also been dashed due to "technical challenges along the way".

Sector is virtually flat today despite overall market gains





Mon 28 April 2003 11:30AM BST

BT targets smaller companies with new outsourcing service
Size does matter...



BT is to target companies with a minimum turnover of 50m with a new outsourcing service, a shift in its strategy which until now saw it focus on larger organisations with a turnover of more than 100m.


BT said today that it is now working with such customers on a "strategic and tactical level" to design, implement and manage their entire ICT (information and communications) infrastructure.



Craig Rowland, managing director of BT Business, said in a statement: "The cost and logistics of outsourcing an operation have until now been prohibitive for many firms, even though they are competing against ones which do have greater economies of scale. By making our outsourcing expertise more widely available, we will be able to help many firms use communications to make better use of their IT and thus operate more efficiently."


Charges are based on the level of involvement from BT, but the company said that there is no requirement for a minimum spend. Customers can opt for anything from basic network management to full service delivery including the transfer of people and assets.


The service will be provided in conjunction with BT's partners, including Cisco, Dell and Oracle.

14:12 Monday 28th April 2003
Graeme Wearden


Despite an Oftel investigation looming large over the horizon, BT isn't backing down over its plans to reduce the cost of its wholesale ADSL products
BT is adamant that it will cuts the cost of its wholesale broadband products this week, despite an Oftel investigation into the legality of the move.

The telco announced earlier this month that the prices of its wholesale business ADSL packages will fall by over 50 percent, in addition to a smaller reduction in the cost of its consumer ADSL product.



These cuts are scheduled to come into place on 1 May. They have been thrown into some confusion, though, by Oftel's investigation. Several of BT's rivals have complained that they are anticompetitive because they are not being applied to certain network products used by large operators with their own backbone networks.

It is understood that this investigation could reach a conclusion within days, but BT is pressing on with the cuts regardless.

"We've announced the cuts, we told Oftel about them beforehand, and we're definitely going ahead with them," a BT spokesman told ZDNet UK News on Monday. He added that BT had supplied Oftel with significant amounts of information about the cuts, but had not yet received any official word about the investigation.

Oftel can take up to three months to conduct an investigation, but it is rumoured that a decision might be taken before the end of this week.

An Oftel spokeswoman confirmed that an investigation into the price cuts was underway, following complaints from Thus, Energis, and Tiscali.

"Really, it is for BT to ensure that any price cuts or new products are compliant with its licence," explained the Oftel spokeswoman.

The complaint is based on the fact that BT has only cut the price of its IPStream range of products -- which BT Wholesale sells to ISPs -- and not its Datastream service, which large operators with their own backbone networks use to take advantage of BT's ADSL connections to the home.

Thus, Energis, and Tiscali claimed that this move breaks the terms of BT's licence by creating a margin squeeze, under which it could sell wholesale broadband at unfairly better terms than its rivals.

oftel broadband thingy out - no surprises

LONDON (AFX) - BT Group PLC and Kingston Communications PLC will continue to have to provide operators with wholesale broadband access under the new EC communications directives, according to telecommunications watchdog, Oftel.
Oftel comments are included in its market review of the wholesale broadband market which has been published as part of its work to implement the new EC Directives on electronic communications that come into force on July 25.

David Edmonds, Director General of Telecommunications, said today: "Oftel's review of the wholesale broadband market has found that BT and Kingston in the Hull area still have significant power in this market.

"Oftel proposes to continue under the new EC communications directives with a number of obligations on BT and Kingston to ensure other operators can compete with them to provide broadband services."

Measures to promote competition include requiring BT and Kingston to provide access to their broadband networks on reasonable request, not to discriminate against other operators, and provide accounting separation between their wholesale and retail broadband services.

Edmonds said, "These measures will support the continued growth in broadband take up by ensuring that consumers have access to a wide range of broadband services at some of the cheapest prices in Europe."

newsdesk@afxnews.com

H2 on the 22/05



weighed down by some cautious comments on the European wireline telecoms sector from Morgan Stanley, dealers said. According to the US broker, European fixed-line revenues are expected to decline in the first quarter of 2003 due to substitution and the weak economic backdrop. Morgan Stanley advised clients to avoid BT, as it believes the former monopoly operator will show poor revenue growth and flat EBITDA for the full year to the end of March. BT's long-term EPS growth rate stands at less than 1 pct, said the broker, which believes BT will be hard pressed to increase its dividend payments over the longer term. "The company is not the cash cow that many think," said Morgan Stanley, which reiterated its 'underperform' and 165 pence price target on BT. An actuarial pension review -- expected to accompany the full-year figures -- will provide further downside risk to the share price, warned the broker. Also weighing on the BT share price was a report in this morning's Daily Telegraph alleging that the group will lift its self-imposed ban on major acquisitions amid fears that sales will fall into decline.

Royal Mail to outsource 1.5bn IT operations
By Mary Fagan
(Filed: 2003-04-27 00:01 )

Royal Mail is preparing to outsource its nationwide IT operations in a deal worth up to 1.5bn.

The company is expected this week to sign a 10-year agreement with a consortium including CSC, the American computer services group, and BT, the telecoms giant. The deal involves the transfer of 2,000 jobs out of the Royal Mail group.

The move is part of Royal Mail's drive to focus on its core operations and to slash operating costs. The group has already outsourced building operations and maintenance as well as employee health services.

Royal Mail's massive IT operations are among the biggest in the UK. They span the maintenance of Royal Mail's mainframe and desktop computers as well as automation of sorting offices and mail-tracking systems.

The operation is currently spread across a number of locations including London, Farnborough in Hampshire and Chesterfield in Derbyshire.

The latest deal is likely to cut Royal Mail's annual costs by many millions of pounds. The group is already set to reveal sharply reduced losses for last year when it announces its financial results at the end of May.

Under the leadership of Allan Leighton, the chairman, Royal Mail has embarked on a three-year recovery programme which will involve the loss of around 30,000 jobs.

The company will announce in May that it has completed a sweeping restructuring of its Parcelforce arm which will generate further savings in this financial year.

Royal Mail has also announced a programme of urban post office closures.

Easing off a little today with sector and the market. CPW are making a new offer on calls that save you a half penny on an hour long call Zzzzzzzzzzzzz



ains

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two more telcos run to Oftel over BT BB 'margin squeeze'
By Tim Richardson
Posted: 30/04/2003 at 11:56 GMT


Two more companies have lodged formal complaints against planned price cuts for one of BT's wholesale ADSL products.

Telecoms outfits mediaWays.uk Ltd and Your Communications have joined the chorus of complaints from Energis, Thus and Tiscali alleging that planned price cuts to BT's IPStream product will lead to a margin squeeze.

The price drop announced earlier this month only applies to BT's 'IPStream' service - the wholesale end-to-end service provided by BT Wholesale to the telco's retail operations and other service providers.

However, Energis, Thus, Tiscali (and now mediaWays.uk Ltd and Your Communications)have complained to Oftel claiming that BT has failed to pass on similar price cuts to its wholesale Datastream service - a product that allows other service providers to use their own networks to provide competitive broadband services.

A spokesman for Your Communications told The Register that the planned cut in price for the IPStream product was a "classic margin squeeze".

He welcomed any move by Oftel to postpone the proposed price cuts while the regulator completed its investigation into the matter. However, realistically, he doubted whether Oftel would do so.

Last week, industry insiders told The Register that Oftel was mulling the idea of blocking the price cut while it carried out a full investigation into complaints that the cost cut is "anti-competitive".

Related Stories
Oftel could block BT's ADSL price cut
Thus complains to Oftel over BT ADSL 'margin squeeze'
Tiscali blasts BT's 'anti-competitive' ADSL price cuts
BT confirms ADSL price cuts
BT to cut wholesale ADSL prices