Westminster was one of the first eleven pilot franchises advertised in August 1983. The franchise was awarded to Westminster Cable Company who named British Telecom as the cable provider. The system was to be a switched star network, with potential for a comprehensive range of interactive services. The licence to run the system was awarded jointly to Westminster Cable Company and Broadband Ventures Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of BTl in April 1985 and construction commenced immediately. Service to trial customers was started in June, and commercial operation began in October.