They're one of the biggest telecom companies in the world, but what do they actually provide? Let's find out!
Who are BT and how did they become so big?
BT is an incredibly long-lived telecommunications company. In fact, they're the world's oldest, having been part of the original boom in telegraphs in the 1840's! Since then, they've gone through many, many different incarnations, in their evolution into one of the big players in the communications world. but to understand their evolution, you need to know the full story, from birth, right through to their immenseness (yes, I made up that word, but it sounds more emphatic then 'they're big'...) today.
Beginning life in the 19th Century, they first rocked onto the scene as the Electric Telegraph Company, which through various means (taking over control during a perceived 'time of chaos'. Hey, it can't be stealing if it's the government doing it...) the company came into possession of the British Government, and specifically, it came under the control of the Post Office.
That set the scene for developing the first telecoms network in the UK, for phones becoming widespread, for BT's eventual separation from the Post Office, and their journey into the world of communications, with its convergent technologies, where things like BT broadband and BT Mobile could finally be realised.
BT in the world of today
So, who are BT today? And what do they offer? Well, first of all, it's eminently clear they've gone way beyond a mere phone company, with fingers in lots of "comms pies", ranging from broadband to TV, from landline phones to mobile phones. First up, though, they do still maintain a landline service, and in all likelihood, they always will, for at least as long as people want it, anyway (which, again, they most likely always will). Not only that, but the entire infrastructure of the phone network (unless you're on cable) was put in place, and is maintained by BT.
Then, of course, you have BT broadband, better known as BT Total Broadband. With a range of different options to suit everyone, they provide one of the fastest and most dynamic broadband services in the UK, a fact reflected in the fact that they easily have more subscribers than anyone else! Then, there's BT Vision, their IPTV system. What's IPTV? Well, simple, it's a set-top box that will let you get Freeview, but which also connects to the internet for getting extra content, and on-demand TV. Finally, there's BT Mobile, their mobile phone wing, providing a range of tariffs and packages, designed to be as easy to understand as their landline phone service. And that, in essence, is where BT is, after evolving for over 160 years. Given that they're still evolving, it'll be fun to see where they are in another 160 years!
