CABLE company ntl is to sell its network of communication masts and towers after agreeing a deal worth £1.27bn.

A consortium led by Australia's Macquarie Group will buy ntl's broadcast business, which has about 2,300 sites, including the UK's tallest free-standing structure at Emley Moor, West Yorkshire.

The division enables more than 22 million UK homes to receive commercial television, while mobile phone operators and public services, such as fire and ambulance, also use the sites.

The deal still requires approval from industry regulator Ofcom, although ntl said it expected to tie up the transaction in the first quarter of next year.