Why doesn't Cable and Wireless expand its Mercury or Energis network to residential areas?

It passes some homes but could be used for Bulldog so that customers have a choice whether to use BT's network or CW's one.

In the long run, it would be cheaper for Cable and Wireless to use its own network for Bulldog and could offer a Cable tv service through its lines like homechoice and Kingston. In fact homechoice uses BT's lines.

Cable and Wireless would also attract new business which would be attached to their own network and not BT's and could also allow payphones,internet access points ect... to be connected onto the network. Otherwise Cable and Wireless would be known as a mini-BT.

It would cost too much to make it viable.

The company does have plenty of money and they are not in any financial problems.

If the Virgin and NTL deal don't go ahead. Cable and Wireless should purchase NTL Consumer corp and Telewest Global. So that the company doesn't head for financial problems again, Cable and Wireless could sell off one of its caribbean operations in the process.

Other companies which Cable and Wireless could purchase:

Virgin Mobile: To enable the company to offer mobile service.

Spectrum Interactive: To enable the company to offer payphone services.

Page One Comms: Page one have a paging network which is high tech and has been claimed that it is very viable for future intensions. This was previously owned by Mercury.

The company will then offer a complete service.

I'm also a member of moneysavingexpert.com and on their telecoms board theres a sticky about Mercury. From memory it says that forum members are not allowed to discuss the company due to problems in the past.

What's that all about? It doesn't really ellaborate on the issue. But I think it suggests that the moderators got fed up of policing int issue....

Anyone know what that is all about?

Totally different company, they are referring to a company that selling cheap mobile contracts.

Mercury Communications was first in business in 1982 owned by Cable and Wireless,Barclays bank and British Aerospace until 1992. From 1992, it was fully owned by Cable and Wireless plc.

In the 1980's, Mercury was the first company to compete against BT and and was the only alternative until the Cable companies introduce telephony services in 1990. Mercury began building a telephone infrastructure which was more advanced than the BT network. In 1988, payphones were introduced by the company and operated its first kiosks at Waterloo. Most of those kiosks were blue hooded conopy style kiosks. By 1994, the company operated 2,500 payphones and most were connected to the new Mercury network whilst in some times were connected to Cable company telephone lines.. In 1993, Mercury and US West(Qwest/Media one) developed the worlds first digital GSM mobile network called 'Mercury Personal Communications ltd' and traded as 'One2one'.

Then in 1996, Videotron,Nynex,Bellcable Media,Cable and Wireless and mercury all merged together and created Cable and Wireless Communications. This was done because Nynex and BellCable media were so far behind at developing the cable tv and telephone network and was still being completed in 1995! 4 years behind schedule. This was done because Videotron,Bellcable and Nynex did not have as many customers as expected and were in very serious financial difficulty. This is why the companies don't like anyone talking about it. This deal was expected to last, but it started to affect other parts of the Cable and Wireless company and Cable and wireless communications was sold off to NTL ConsumerCorp.

In 1999, Mercury Personal Communications was sold off to Deutsche Telekom and DT restructured the One2one business in 2002 when it became part of the T-Motion group and was rebranded T-Mobile.

Then Cable and Wireless began to restructure itself:

2001: Purchased Cable and Wireless Guernsey
2004: Purchased Bulldog Communications
2005: Purchased Energis
2006: Launched Straight Talk