§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if there are any current restrictions on the provision by foreign companies of equipment for British Telecom and the British telecommunications network in the area of activity for which Cable and. Wireless plc is seeking to provide for the Japanese network; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PattieThe Government have had a consistent policy of liberalising the field of telecommunications to allow for competition in the supply of equipment and services. Any equipment, regardless of origin, may be connected to the public switched telephone network, provided it meets the stringent technical standards needed for approval.
The Government have also licensed Mercury Communications Ltd. as a competitor to BT for both domestic and international services. An exact parallel cannot be drawn to the C and W issue in Japan, where no competition in international services exists. It is this competition which C and W, with its IDC partners, is seeking to provide.