British Telecommunications Plc has pledged UKP80m over the next three years to maintain Northern Ireland’s lead in telecommunications and further develop its communications infrastructure. The sum adds to the UKP100m already invested in the area by BT as part of the European Commission’s STAR Optical Fibre Project to upgrade telecommunications in what it calls Less Favoured Regions in Europe. The Commission donated UKP7.5m to the area, prompting Telecom to to install ISDN links for data, voice, text and video transmission well in advance of its ISDN roll out programme for the rest of Britain. British Telecom Northern Ireland says the STAR investment has upgraded the network five years earlier than it would otherwise have been done. The project, which involved digitising the main network, will be completed next month. However the extra UKP80m from BT will ensure modernisation of the network in rural areas, further development of the ISDN network, extension of a 64Kbps network for videoconferencing and private networks, and the completion of a computerised customer service system aimed at speeding customer contact with the company. Telecom’s Ulster chief Doug Riley, said the extra money would help to support the region’s aim of becoming a key communications and information processing bridgehead between Europe and the US.
