British Rail Telecommunications is eventually to offer a public telecommunications service in direct competition with British Telecommunications Plc and Mercury Communications Ltd; the company is in the final throes of concluding a deal with two other companies to set up a joint venture telecommunications company and says that it will then apply for a public telecommunications operator licence – probably in a year and a half; at first BR Telecom will offer capacity to other organisations such as the cellular operators and large corporates; this is the same strategy announced last week by British Waterways in conjunction with US Sprint (CI No 1,654): but eventually BR Telecom will offer an alternative public network, linking customers direct and via cable television companies.
