Records created or inherited by British Telecommunications (public corporation)

Records of British Telecommunications as a public corporation, trading under the name British Telecom. As well as illuminating a period of many technical innovations, the records also cover the gradual withdrawal of British Telecommunications' monopoly position as a provider of telecommunications services for the United Kingdom market.

Some files of the Post Office External Telecommunications Executive, inherited by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, are in FV 4

Telecommunications records are also in the following departments: TGA TPA

Files relating to postal and telegraphic matters passed to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications following the Post Office Act 1969 are in BT 229

There are also records relating to telecommunications held either by the Post Office Archives or by BT Archives in POST TCB TCC

Topics

Trade and commerce

Communications

On 1 October 1981, British Telecommunications, trading as British Telecom, finally severed its links with the Post Office and became a totally separate public corporation under the provisions of the British Telecommunications Act, 1981.

It was also at this time that the first steps were taken to introduce competition into the United Kingdom telecommunications industry: British Telecom lost its monopoly of the supply of customer premises equipment and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry was empowered to grant licences to operators other than British Telecom to provide network and value added services.

In 1982, Mercury Communications Ltd was licensed as the main competitor to British Telecom and, on 19 July 1982, the Government formally announced its intention to sell up to 51% of British Telecom to the public: the first example of the privatisation of a public utility. The transfer to British Telecommunications plc from British Telecom as a statutory corporation of its business, its property, its rights and liabilities took place on 6 August 1984.