BT Cellnet Connection Figures

British Telecommunications PLC
5 July 2000


          BT CELLNET CUSTOMER BASE GROWS TO 8.1m
       NEW MOBILE INTERNET MARKET MAKES RECORD DEBUT

BT  Cellnet,  the  mobile Internet  market  leader,  today
announced  a  total of 670,000 new mobile phone  customers
for  April-June  2000.  This  represents  a  34  per  cent
increase on the same period last year.

175,000  of  these  new connections were  mobile  Internet
sales. In addition to this, the company has reached supply
agreements with a range of financial services partners* to
supply up to 330,000 mobile Internet phones this financial
year.  From  next  month,  the phones  will  enable  these
partners to extend their mobile banking services to  their
customers.

     According  to BT Cellnet around 200,000 people  have
bought  mobile Internet (WAP) phones in the  UK  to  date.
This  is  the fastest  ever  uptake  of  a  new  mobile  
phone technology in the UK, including GSM.  BT Cellnet 
estimates it  has  secured 90 per cent of this new market 
for mobile Internet users since launch.

     Peter Erskine, managing director of BT Cellnet, said:
'These  early  adopters are proving to  be  heavier  users
compared  to  traditional  voice-only  customers.   It  is
important in such an environment to be first to market  to
capture  these high quality consumers, and puts  us  in  a
strong  position  as the next phase of the  mobile  market
develops.'
                                                          
     During  the same period, the Genie Internet service signed
up  a total of 380,000 new users, taking its base to
one million.  BT  Cellnet estimates that of the  UK  mobile
phone networks, the Genie Internet user base is around
ten  times larger than its nearest rival. 70 per cent
of all Genie users are BT Cellnet customers and also
use  their  mobile phones noticeably more than  voice-only
customers.

Peter Erskine added:

'This quarter has been a strong commercial success for  BT
Cellnet,  in  voice and mobile Internet.  A  new  kind  of
mobile  phone user is emerging. I believe their  grasp  of
the  benefits  of  new  mobile  data  technologies  is  an
important factor in our success.'
                           

* Current BT Cellnet banking partners include Egg
(Prudential), First Direct, IF (Halifax), Barclaycard,
HSBC (UK), Bank of Scotland and Cahoot (Abbey National).

                             
BT Cellnet Quarterly Connection Figures - Quarterly totals

BT Cellnet Quarterly   Net Connections    Total Closing
Growth                                         Base
Apr-June 2000            670,000         8,074,000
                                         
Jan-Mar 2000             457,000         7,404,000

Oct-Dec 1999           1,001,000         6,947,000
                                         
July-Sept 1999           923,000         5,946,000                            
                                                    
Apr-June 1999            501,000         5,023,000
                                         


For further information please contact:


BT Cellnet Press Office       01753 565656

Simon Matthews/Fiona Campbell
Fishburn Hedges               020 7839 4321