Shares in BT Group were up on the FTSE 100, despite expectations that the telecoms group will be announcing a fall in full year profit of 37 per cent tomorrow.

In February BT reported a rise in third quarter earnings of 11 per cent to £1.44 billion, in large part due to a turnaround in the group's Global Services division.

The third quarter also saw a drop in underlying costs of 13 per cent and a reduction of debt to the tune of one billion pounds. The news was seen as evidence that the company is making good progress.

The consensus analyst estimate is that tomorrow BT's full year pre-tax profit for 2009 will be £1.3 billion, down 37 per cent from the previous year.

Analysts at Hargreaves Lansdown said shares in BT were a "strong hold".

By 13:57 shares in BT Group were up on the FTSE 100 by 1.68 per cent to 120.94 pence per share.