Anyone wondering what BT may be selling to add value to a commoditised voice services marketplace and answer competition from the the mobile sector, especially once we've all got chips in our brains, only had to read this week's Observer. Yes, it's eternal life:

'If you draw the timelines, realistically by 2050 we would expect to be able to download your mind into a machine, so when you die it's not a major career problem,' Pearson told The Observer. 'If you're rich enough then by 2050 it's feasible. If you're poor you'll probably have to wait until 2075 or 2080 when it's routine. We are very serious about it. That's how fast this technology is moving: 45 years is a hell of a long time in IT.'