By Sally Watson, 19 February 2002 15:47
NEWS BT's retail and wholesale ADSL prices soar way above those in the rest of Europe, according to independent analysis from Point Topic. The research firm found BT's monthly charge of E49 (£30) was more than twice the wholesale price offered by Belgacom in Belgium (£12 per month) and Spain's Telefonica (£14 per month). France Telecom and Telecom Italia offered mid-range prices of E30 (£18) and E36 (£22), respectively. Of the European telcos surveyed, only one - France Telecom - offered a cheaper home connection than wholesale. In the UK, Belgium and Italy, the incumbent telco's retail prices are higher than the wholesale price, but only by between 12 per cent and 17 per cent. According to Point Topic, that margin is too narrow for competitors to be able to make a profit at the price level set by the incumbent, a situation which European competition authorities should address. The survey did not include installation costs or hardware.
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