OXFORD, United Kingdom—Having run up debts of US$17 billion, the United Kingdom-based cable operator NTL has denied that money problems are behind its decision to cancel launch plans for a high-speed wireless network. The company, which is rumored to be a prospect for topping the bankruptcy league table, is said to be talking to Liberty Media about long-term merger plans after embarking on a spending spree acquiring other cable companies.
The wireless Internet launch, which was positioned to provide high-speed access to small businesses within 5 kilometers of the NTL wireless transmitter, was said to have attracted more than 1,000 trial subscribers while NTL offered trial access to 200 schools. The pilot project was recently reduced in scale with no new launch date scheduled.
High-speed wireless operators across Europe, which announced their ambitious deployment plans during the stock market boom, have since cut back heavily on infrastructure and rollout expenditure. Others have not weathered the storm and ceased operation altogether.
