Fixing Cesky Telecom

As the cabinet was deciding late Wed. to sell Český Telecom to Deutsche Bank and TDC TeleDanmark, Telecom's email server was crashing. For more than 10 hours, customers of the CR's biggest internet provider couldn't receive email (sending email and using the internet weren't affected). This was by no means the first time Telecom's internet service had crashed for an extended period, but the media have almost never reported the problem. It's not clear why. Customers are increasingly reliant on email and the internet, but Telecom has been testing their patience with its recurrent dropouts. Deputy Premier Pavel Rychetský told the BBC yesterday that Telecom needs a "very fundamental restructuring" and that fixed lines don't have a very bright future. Data transfer and the internet are the future, and TDC is promising big changes at Telecom in this area.