BT’s 12-month rollercoaster ride

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But that said, Chris Lewis, group vice president of International Telecoms and Networking for IDC, said that the company is missing out on a trick to make this a real success.

“Ultimately however they have to fit low end systems and take advantage of this future communications platform,” he said, “rather than sticking to the high end businesses.”

Other news showed that even one of the UK’s largest employers couldn't withstand the gravity of the recession, and was forced to put a stop to its well respected graduate scheme, blaming the difficult economic climate for the move.

In a letter to the Financial Times’ editor, chairman of BT, Sir Michael Rake, insisted the company would step up the university leavers’ recruitment in the future but as students find it harder and harder to get a job during a recession, it was never going to be a widely accepted move.

The next move around the bend

So it was a year of swings and roundabouts for the telecoms giant, but the question still stands: Does the good outweigh the bad and how strong is BT's future prospects?

Lewis is positive for BT’s future. “The good thing for BT is that demand is stronger than ever for telecoms. However the premiums from 10 or 15 years ago just don’t exist anymore.”

“What Livingstone needs to do is make BT a lean mean machine to make it work.”

Morrison also took a positive stance, albeit with caution. “Provided the company can complete its cost-cutting measures and do so without adversely disrupting customer service – and that’s a big ask – they should come out of the process stronger than before,” he said.

So, all eyes from the telecoms and UK business world rest on BT to see how it will survive future twists and turns. The company obviously still has fans and holds a lot of respect in its name. But it will be interesting to see if this telecoms giant has a gentle Ferris Wheel ride or a terrifying Big Dipper experience as it goes into 2010.

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