BT chief prioritising fibre broadband rollout

BT chief executive Ian Livingston has said the telecoms giant's fibre optic broadband deployment is his biggest focus for the coming year.

Speaking to the Mirror about his hopes and fears for 2013, Mr Livingston said his top business priority is "delivering one of the most ambitious fibre broadband rollouts in the world".

By the end of spring 2014, BT is aiming to bring super-fast broadband within reach of two-thirds of UK properties, at least 18 months ahead of its original deadline.

More than 12 million homes and businesses have already been passed by the deployment, with a further seven million to be hooked up once the project is finished.

He also called for the government to concentrate on growth in a bid to aid job creation.

The BT chief argued that pension schemes should be encouraged to invest in large-scale infrastructure projects and "the future of our economy", rather than in "expensive government debt".