BTopenworld denies it's ‘sidelined’ consumers

But admits that it is courting broadband business users instead

By Tim Richardson, 20th April 2001

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BTopenworld is to concentrate on offering broadband services to businesses instead of consumers, the Internet division of the monster telco confirmed today.

Although BTopenworld won't refuse cash from consumers, it has made a strategic decision to target SMEs instead with all marketing cash geared towards business users.

Yesterday's Telegraph quotes Charles Household, communications manager at BTopenworld, who conceded that "small and medium businesses are really our focus now."

The newspaper reported that consumers are a "cost burden" - a claim disputed by BTopenworld - and that the outfit is to concentrate on more lucrative SME users instead.

A spokesman for the broadband ISP told The Register: "This move doesn't mean we're abandoning the consumer market. We're still signing people up."

"We're just focusing more on the SME market," he said.

BTopenworld believes there is far greater demand in the SME marketplace and simply "doesn't want to miss out".

Although the ISP has not ruled out future campaigns targeted at consumers El Reg understands that none is planned in the foreseeable future.

BTopenworld is trying to play down the story insisting that this is merely a question of focus and the allocation of its marketing budget. At this moment in time, it maintains, its cash would be better spent targeting SMEs.

Indeed, one senior BTopenworld source took umbrage at the Telegraph's headline which suggested that consumers have been "sidelined".

He may have a point - but that's how it looks from here. ®