Telecommunications Today: Unblocking the Highway

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During 2000, the HIIP has selected the United Kingdom as its countryfor special focus with regard to its information policies. In March,we hosted a presentation by Ms. Patricia Hewitt, the UK's firstMinister for Small Business and E-Commerce, or e-Minister. Shedescribed how the U.K. is setting out the current environment for e-business and the government's strategy to stimulate itfurther-building competitive markets, confident people, and leading-edge electronic government. On October 12, we will continue theseries with a seminar featuring Mr. Alfred Mockett.Alfred Mockett is Chief Executive Officer of BT Ignite, BritishTelecom's new international data-centered broadband IP. Before beingappointed CEO of Ignite, Mr. Mockett was President and CEO of BTWorldwide and BT Solutions, with responsibility for all of BT'soperations outside the United Kingdom. He joined BT in 1991 asManaging Director of BT's Special Businesses division withresponsibility for non-regulated and separately regulated businesses,including Yellow Pages, BT Cellnet, Satellite Communications, MobileCommunications, Operator Services and Directory Enquiries.BT Ignite plans to use its existing 50,000 route kilometer fiberbackbone-already the largest in Europe-to exploit explosive growth indata transport and value-added services, including hosting andsolutions opportunities. Ignite also includes BT's large scaleinternational solutions businesses, Syntegra and Syncordia, which willprovide Ignite with critical differentiating service capabilities,including large scale network outsourcing and custom-made e-commercesolutions.A planned investment of approximately 4 billion pounds (UK) over the next threeyears will expand the backbone network and web hosting capabilitiesand realize ambitious local access strategies. These involve new cityfiber networks, wireless local loop, and deployment of xDSL in theUnited Kingdom and across Europe as regulation permits. The backbonenetwork is expected to grow to 70,000 route kilometers in 2001,reaching the 100 most important commercial centers today and 250 bythe end of 2001. Ignite's hosting platform will be expanded to 19centers in nine countries with 800,000 square feet of usable space byDecember 2001.