Press & PR

Ben Verwaayen, the man hailed as the father of broadband, has left his position as chief executive of telecoms giant BT.

Although he has guided the company to a number of successes, including the creation of a fiercely competitive broadband market, his departure comes at a time when BT is flagging, the Guardian reports.

During Mr Verwaayen's tenure, the number of people using broadband in the UK increased from 200,000 in 2002 to more than 12.5 million today.

Mr Verwaayen is quoted as saying that his departure was not forced and that it seemed like an appropriate time to let upcoming talent take the reins.

He will be replaced internally, with the head of the company's retail division Ian Livingstone taking over.

The Independent reports that one of the most pressing issues that Mr Livingstone will have to address is the "fibre debate", with substantial upgrades to the UK's broadband network needed.

Vonage allows people to make cheap calls using broadband phone services. The V-Plan 1 is available from £5.99 per month and includes free landline calls throughout the UK.