BT workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strikes in a dispute over pay.
Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) at BT and Openreach overwhelmingly backed industrial action.
General secretary Dave Ward said BT was facing the first national strike since the company was privatised in the 1980s.
Mr Ward said it was the first time a group of call centre workers had voted for industrial action.
A vote by CWU members at EE failed by a few votes to reach the legal threshold.
Mr Ward said he expected BT to offer a 鈥渟ignificantly improved鈥 pay rise by next week or strike dates will be set.
The union said it wanted a 鈥渟ubstantial鈥 pay rise, especially with the spiralling rate of inflation, arguing that BT could afford it.
A BT Group spokesperson said: 鈥淏T Group awarded its highest pay rise for frontline colleagues in more than 20 years 鈥 an average 5% increase and up to 8% for those on the lowest salaries.
鈥淎t the same time, we鈥檙e in the middle of a once-in-a-generation investment programme to upgrade the country鈥檚 broadband and mobile networks.
鈥淭hese investments are vital for the benefit of our millions of customers and for the 海角视频 economy. Above all, they are central to the success of this business 鈥 and its colleagues 鈥 now and in the future.
鈥淥ur job is to balance the competing demands of BT Group鈥檚 stakeholders and that requires careful management, especially in a challenging economic environment.
鈥淭he result of the CWU鈥檚 ballot is a disappointment but we will work to keep our customers and the country connected.鈥
Openreach members voted by 95% in favour of strikes on a 74% turnout and BT workers by 91% on a 58% turnout.
EE workers in the CWU voted by 95% in favour 鈥 but on a turnout of 49.7%, which the union said was eight votes short of the legal threshold for those taking part in ballots.
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