Sprint International and British Waterways have engaged GEC Plessey Telecommunications Ltd to enter the second phase of a project aimed at developing a fibreoptic communications network throughout Britain, using canal and river wayleaves; GEC-Plessey is entering the project as a prospective supplier and Sprint says it will be looking at detailed route surveys as well as talking to potential customers to ensure that there is a market for the service; if established, the network will offer high speed telecommunication channels; Sprint says the network would enable telephone companies to offer services such as switched voice at lower prices, as well as stimulating value added services that rely on high speed, such as videconferencing; customers could include the cable television companies, cellular and personal communication network operators, large corporations and British Telecom and Mercury Communications: a spokesman for Sprint said the second phase would probably last until the end of the year, but the plan’s progress depends on the state of the UK telecommunications market.
