BT has embarked on an ambitious plan, costing £2 billion a year, to replace its existing network with a new one based on internet protocol (IP) technology. It claims this will make it easier to offer a better service to the many other carriers who rely on the national infrastructure. The “21CN” project is also the centrepiece of BT’s plan to revitalise its business.

John Pluthero, chief executive of Energis, said: “Given that I am BT Wholesale’s third-largest customer, spending £500m a year with them, I was a little bit surprised that they had not come to us to see what we would like to see in their new network. They do what BT does, which is place themselves in a dark room with a cold towel round their head and decide how this industry will march forward. I am having none of it.”

Energis is concerned that BT plans to have a single IP network, instead of layers to match differing needs. “They’ve got quite a lot to learn about IP networks,” said Pluthero.

But Paul Reynolds, chief executive of BT Wholesale, said: “My board and John’s board met together in February. We’ve been as open as we could be on this. I’m not sure what John’s problem is.”

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