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Brit telcos warn Scots that voting Yes could lead to hefty bills

BT and Co: Independence vote likely to mean 'increased costs'

BT and other British network operators have followed in the footsteps of knickers model David Beckham by urging Scotland not to quit the Union.

The companies, including the former state monopoly, EE, O2 and Vodafone, have written an open letter to Scots in which they are warned of the wallet-hitting drawbacks of voting for independence on Thursday, 18 September.

BT and chums said they would "remain fully committed to our customers" whatever the outcome of the ballot later this week. But a "Yes" vote would come at a cost, they warned.

"Strategic and operational factors" would need to be resolved for the UK's biggest telcos, Scots were told at the weekend.

The chieftains' missive, signed by TalkTalk's Dido Harding, BT's Gavin Patterson, O2's Ronan Dunne, Vodafone's Jeroen Hoencamp, EE's Olaf Swantee and Three UK's David Dyson, said:

Specifically, we would need to know how a Scottish telecoms industry would be regulated. Would there be continuity with the current European Union regulatory framework so that we would continue to operate across the border with common infrastructure under a single set of rules? What approach would the government of an independent Scotland take to the radio spectrum - currently licensed on a UK-wide basis - without which mobile networks cannot operate?

We may also need to modify our networks to reflect the reality of an independent Scotland; and we may need to consider whether to modify the services offered in Scotland, given its relatively demanding topography and relatively low population density. Any of these factors could lead to increased industry costs.

The letter ended with a promise to offer "the best possible services" to Scotland, even if it does split from the UK. Yet our Calendonian friends' pockets would be hit hard by what could be seen as a threat to hike mobe and fixed network bills. ®

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