TalkTalk to slash 580 jobs

Phone company integrates its technology teams

TalkTalk today announced a major business restructure resulting in the loss of 580 jobs.

The phone company said the expansion of its network means it needs to integrate its technology teams, resulting in a reduction of its workforce.

"TalkTalk has been extraordinarily successful. Five years of very rapid growth, starting with the launch of free broadband in 2006 and followed by the acquisitions of AOL Broadband and Tiscali UK, have made TalkTalk by far the UK's largest next-generation network with over 4.25 million broadband and voice customers," said chief executive Dido Harding.

"This has brought immense benefits of scale but has also meant that TalkTalk has effectively grown as three separate businesses serving the consumer and business to business markets, supported by a network division, each with its own IT, HR and finance function," she added.

"This has created a level of duplication and it is now time to address that and build an organisation fit for the future. From today, we will have one consolidated central services team with all IT services being housed within the technology team. Our business to business division, Opal, will also now be re-branded TalkTalk Business."