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BT beefs up with four million fat pipe users
Very broadband...

By Reuters

Published: Monday 03 September 2007

BT Group has signed up more than four million customers to its broadband service, cementing its position as the country's leading supplier.

The dominant fixed-line telecoms operator said it had 172,000 broadband customers in 2002 when it decided to put broadband at the centre of its strategy - meaning it has signed more than 2,000 customers per day since then.

The number of broadband customers is one of the key performance indicators most closely watched by City analysts.

The broadband market has become hugely competitive in recent years, with BT competing against satellite operator BSkyB, mobile comms retailer Carphone Warehouse, internet company Tiscali and cable operator Virgin Media for customers.

BT said in July it would focus its broadband strategy on quality and avoid the price war that has led some providers to offer laptops as incentives.

To help strengthen customer loyalty, it has also launched a broadband television service called BT Vision, which is based on the popular, free-to-air Freeview service.

BT said the UK has overtaken Japan, France, Germany and the US in terms of broadband penetration and is only trailing Canada in the G8 group of industrialised countries.

BT Retail chief executive, Ian Livingston, said in a statement: "Four million customers is a great achievement in such a short time. Broadband has proved to be one of the most popular new services ever seen."