BT forms Internet division

BT stressed its commitment to the Internet Tuesday with the formation of a dedicated e-business division.

The announcement comes amid speculation BT is to float the Internet parts of its business and calls from MPs of all parties for a split up of the telco giant, following a widely criticised restructuring of tarriffs for Internet calls.

BT e-Business will become the umbrella organisation for BT Internet, BTClick and BT's share of free ISP LineOne and will be headed up by Ben Andradi, who was previously in charge of Internet services at IBM.

Twenty-five percent of BT's local calls are now made to Internet service providers and BT estimates consumer e-commerce will be worth around £61bn in five years time. Group managing director of BT, Bill Cockburn, stressed BT's commitment to the Net and vowed to "pursue our strategy of expansion in all aspects of the Internet market".

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