Breathe blows off Biscit deal

No other suitors yet

Breathe’s rescue of Biscit Internet is off, the would-be rescuer announced this afternoon.

Breathe Networks stepped in last week with an offer to buy up the customer base of Biscit, just days after the London-based ISP slipped into administration. Last Friday Breathe said it hoped to ensure a “smooth migration with no downtime or disruption for customers.

By this afternoon, it seemed a spanner had been lodged firmly in the works, with Breathe saying the deal was off due to “a number of legal and commercial issues between Biscit (currently in administration) and its suppliers.”

Breathe added it would still be delighted to take on Biscit customers, but it was “prohibited from contacting them directly”.

Tony Thompson, of Piper Thompson, Biscit’s administrator, confirmed the deal had fallen down this afternoon. He said there were no other suitors at this stage.

This does not bode well for Biscit customers, who have been "hung out to dry," one Reg reader complained. "We have no means of getting a MAC from Breathe or BISCit and BT just state we should contact our supplier - great news, eh?."

In the UK, the Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) is a unique identifier used by consumers to switch broadband ISPs. The existing service provider cannot withhold an authorisation code to enforce debt collection or contractual rights. So at first sight, Biscit's administrators should have the right to transfer MACs to whoever they choose.

We shall have an update tomorrow. ®