BT consolidates broadband position

BT has seen an upsurge in the number of subscribers to its broadband services during the first three months of 2008 despite fierce competition.

Figures published for the fourth quarter show that the telecoms firm now has customer base of almost 4.5 million, which accounts for approximately 30 per cent of the ISP market.

BT attributed the sustained growth to new services such as Home IT Support Service, which has added 18,000 subscribers over the year.

Meanwhile, 94,000 new customers signing up for the BT Vision service to take the overall number of subscribers to 214,000.

Soaring demand for video on demand has helped the platform to grow, with users now accessing content on average once a day.

BT announced overall first quarter revenues of £5.422 billion, a two per cent annual increase. This rise was surpassed by a seven per cent rise in operating profit, which took the total figure to £814 million.