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The UK’s biggest broadband provider, BT, has agreed to buy rival operator TalkTalk to save the company from collapse<\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
The takeover would end of months of speculation over the future of TalkTalk and mean services for its millions of customers will continue as normal.<\/p>\n
BT boss Alison Kirkby said it provided “a safety net” for TalkTalk customers. The administrator, Alvarez & Marsal, said it also provided certainty for TalkTalk’s 900 staff based in Salford, Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n
However, Virgin Media called it a “stitch-up” which allows BT to “tighten its grip” over the market. The government has given itself the power to have the final say on the deal, citing its importance to vital public services.<\/p>\n
TalkTalk has 1.5 million retail customers and one million wholesale customers across the UK.<\/p>\n
BT’s Kirkby told the BBC’s Today programme: “Two and a half million customers, including vulnerable households, and key emergency services might have lost their services if Talk Talk had failed, which it was on track to do. <\/p>\n
“So BT stepped in as we were the only viable option to take the business forward.”<\/p>\n
Ernest Doku from comparison website Uswitch said the deal means “nothing changes today”.<\/p>\n
“Your broadband and landline carry on as normal, and there is nothing you need to do right now,” he added.<\/p>\n
However, he said that BT should explain “quickly and plainly what this means for contracts, prices and service in the future, so nobody is left guessing”.<\/p>\n