Posted: 04th Mar, 2006 By: MarkJ
The Times newspaper reports that BT has once again been targeted by a group of global private equity firms, which could be mooting a £20bn takeover bid for the operator.
Friday shares rose 5% on the news, however this would by no means be the first time BT had received such a bid. The operator itself calls the reports "highly speculative", although that means very little.
Ultimately the high price tag, a £4bn pensions shortfall and certain UK government pressures mean that a sale is unlikely.
Meanwhile BT's own broadband ADSL customers are being offered the opportunity to upgrade their lines up to 8Mbps speeds from 4th April 2006, which is nice. No change to cost or usage levels, although a new 12 month contract seems to be the catch.