BSKYB and BT are emerging as favourites for AOL.

BSKYB and BT are emerging as favourites to buy the UK operations of AOL, but
are balking at the £1 billion asking price for the internet business.

....

However, he added: "It's not going to go for the supposed £1 billion. It
might go for £200-£300 a customer."

With AOL having about 2.2m customers in Britain, that would suggest a price
of no more than £660m.



Full article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...220020,00.html

Oh shit (

(kim)

that's interesting... I wonder how that affects NTL who are VISP for
AOL, plus NTL tunnel all AOL's ISP traffic over their network for
broadband..

Looks like a whole lot of revenue loss there then..


{{{{{Welcome}}}}} wrote:
> BSKYB and BT are emerging as favourites to buy the UK operations of AOL, but
> are balking at the £1 billion asking price for the internet business.
>
> ...
>
> However, he added: "It's not going to go for the supposed £1 billion. It
> might go for £200-£300 a customer."
>
> With AOL having about 2.2m customers in Britain, that would suggest a price
> of no more than £660m.
>
>
>
> Full article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...220020,00.html

Dan Cave wrote:
> that's interesting... I wonder how that affects NTL who are VISP for
> AOL, plus NTL tunnel all AOL's ISP traffic over their network for
> broadband..
>
> Looks like a whole lot of revenue loss there then..
>
>
> {{{{{Welcome}}}}} wrote:
> > BSKYB and BT are emerging as favourites to buy the UK operations of AOL, but
> > are balking at the £1 billion asking price for the internet business.
> >
> > ...
> >
> > However, he added: "It's not going to go for the supposed £1 billion.It
> > might go for £200-£300 a customer."
> >
> > With AOL having about 2.2m customers in Britain, that would suggest a price
> > of no more than £660m.
> >
> >
> >
> > Full article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...220020,00.html

BT Wont get is coz ofcom wont allow BT to create a monopoly (2.2mil AOL
users & 3mil[ish] BT users)

Ofcom don't regulate internet /ISP business.

I think it would be a good thing because BT own the broadband network
infrastructure, so the AOL customers would get a good service (in
theory)

Xeonwales wrote:
> Dan Cave wrote:
> > that's interesting... I wonder how that affects NTL who are VISP for
> > AOL, plus NTL tunnel all AOL's ISP traffic over their network for
> > broadband..
> >
> > Looks like a whole lot of revenue loss there then..
> >
> >
> > {{{{{Welcome}}}}} wrote:
> > > BSKYB and BT are emerging as favourites to buy the UK operations of AOL, but
> > > are balking at the £1 billion asking price for the internet business.
> > >
> > > ...
> > >
> > > However, he added: "It's not going to go for the supposed £1 billion. It
> > > might go for £200-£300 a customer."
> > >
> > > With AOL having about 2.2m customers in Britain, that would suggest aprice
> > > of no more than £660m.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Full article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...20020,00..html
>
> BT Wont get is coz ofcom wont allow BT to create a monopoly (2.2mil AOL
> users & 3mil[ish] BT users)

> {{{{{Welcome}}}}} wrote:
> > BSKYB and BT are emerging as favourites to buy the UK operations of AOL,
> > but
> > are balking at the £1 billion asking price for the internet business.
> >
> > ...
> >
> > However, he added: "It's not going to go for the supposed £1 billion. It
> > might go for £200-£300 a customer."
> >
> > With AOL having about 2.2m customers in Britain, that would suggest a
> > price
> > of no more than £660m.
> >
> >
> >
> > Full article:
> > http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...220020,00.html *

BT Wont get is coz ofcom wont allow BT to create a monopoly (2.2mil AOL
users & 3mil[ish] BT users)

It is the Competition Commission who would regulate this, but they make
hopeless Ofcom look efficient. Notice how the market for English language
satellite TV is virtually a monopoly for $ky and how they entrench their
position with program providers (EPG slots and higher fees if you don't use
their encryption), proprietary hardware, refusal to provide CAM's for EU
wide Common Interface receivers, Gotcha' T&C's etc. etc. Has the CC (or its
predecessor Monoply & Mergers Commission) done anything? Not a sausage.

Expect to see higher prices in the medium term.



* The Times is part of the same group as $ky, so be sceptical about their
coverage on this issue.


PS at a technical level AOL will appeal more to $ky. BT as ISP provides
vanilla service. AOL is full of provider specific features incompatible
with the rest of the net. B$kyB are good at extracting maximum revenue from
tied customers.

"Dan Cave" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
Ofcom don't regulate internet /ISP business.

I think it would be a good thing because BT own the broadband network
infrastructure, so the AOL customers would get a good service (in
theory)

Somehow I can't see BT continuing to allow me to download 170GB per month.

(kim)