Sky Takes Lead in AOL UK Bid Contest; BT Sits Out

So says this Telegraph story….BT Group has ruled itself out of bidding for AOL’s UK operations (nt the website…just the ISP operations), leaving BSkyB in pole position to lead bids for Britain’s third-largest ISP, the story says. BT was concerned that AOL customers use AOL’s proprietary software to access both the web and exclusive content on its portal. Any BT bid would also have attracted the attention of competition watchdogs as it has 2.6m broadband users of its own.
Sky, which is itself planning to launch a broadband offer this summer, now appears to be the frontrunner, which would give it an immediate broadband customer base. However, the asking price (about 600 million to 1 billion GBP) may prove too high…
Related: BSkyB and BT Likely Frontrunners In AOL UK’s Sale

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