British Telecommunications Plc says its plans for incorporating fibre optic cable into the local loop depend on a change in the rules that preclude it from supplying broadcast entertainment before 2001: It is not true that we are about to embark on a major investment in fibre optics in the local loop, it told Reuter in response to a Financial Times story; What we’ve said in evidence is that if asymmetry were removed then we would consider much higher investment in fibre in the local loop, it said – We reckon to get fibre into the local loop would cost us between 10,000m and 15,000m but that’s based on a lot of assumptions; it’s the best estimate at the moment, it said.
