THREAD---Microsoft Plans Bid for BT's Cable Network, Telegraph Says
London, Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, plans to bid for two British Telecommunications
Plc's cable television franchises, which BT has to sell to meet European Union condition for its planned interactive services joint
venture with British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc, the Sunday Telegraph reported without citing sources. Other bidders for the
franchises in Westminster, central London, which is valued at about 200 million pounds, and Milton Keynes, north of London, are
Cable & Wireless Communications Plc, the U.K.'s largest cable company, Telewest Communications Plc, the U.K.'s No.2 cable
company by sales and NTL Inc., the U.K.'s third-largest cable company by sales. Microsoft plans to use television as a route onto
the Internet for million of homes; Microsoft and BT, which is advised by Hawkpoint, declined to comment on the sale.
Last month, Microsoft said it will buy $200 million of stock in Quest Communications Inc., the No.4 U.S. long-distance phone
company, to speed up Quest's plans for Internet services on its high-speed fiber-optic network. (Sunday Telegraph 1/3
www.telegraph.co.uk) --Abid Ali in the London newsroom (44) 171 330 7381/gm Story illustration: BT/A LN
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