[UK] BT offers to open up network to rivals

De Rebel

a foretaste of things to come, perhaps?

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2005/0623/breaking19.htm (Subscription Required)

BT offers to open up network to rivals
Last updated: 23-06-05, 08:38

Britain's BT Group agreed to open up its network to rivals and announced several cuts in wholesale prices today in exchange for lighter regulation and to avert a possible break-up.

The former monopoly said it had offered the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom, which has been carrying out a sweeping review of the telecoms sector for over a year, a set of undertakings that guarantees equality of access to its local network.

Central to its proposals is a new Access Services business unit within the group to provide transparent and equal access to its nationwide local network, on which rivals also depend for their services.

"The undertakings ... (will) help usher in a new era of clearly defined regulation. This will see regulation focused on key areas and rolled back elsewhere," Britain's dominant fixed-line telecoms company said in a statement.

Ofcom launched the review in April, 2004, asking the industry five questions which included whether BT should be broken up into separate retail and wholesale arms.

Today, in a separate statement it said the undertakings offered by BT were aimed at preventing it being referred to the Competition Commission, which could examine a possible break up of the company.

© 2005 ireland.com/Reuters

Sponge Bob

BT in the UK are faced with a regulator who thinks clearly and acts in a consistent manner to promote competition in the telecommunications sphere , deliver choice and keen pricing to both Business and Consumer and to uphold the welfare of the consumer and crack down hard and fast on predatory activities and fraud/extortion within the sector.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/23/ofcom_bt_deal/ (No sub required, its The Reg)

Tom Young

Sponge Bob wrote:

BT in the UK are faced with a regulator who thinks clearly and acts in a consistent manner to promote competition in the telecommunications sphere , deliver choice and keen pricing to both Business and Consumer and to uphold the welfare of the consumer and crack down hard and fast on predatory activities and fraud/extortion within the sector.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/23/ofcom_bt_deal/ (No sub required, its The Reg)

Course they'll open access, the interconnection regime is going to be so new and diverse ...i.e. in nature that operators wont have the money or comprehension to use it. The project is called 21CN = 21St Century Network.

bealtine

Sponge Bob wrote:

BT in the UK are faced with a regulator who thinks clearly and acts in a consistent manner to promote competition in the telecommunications sphere , deliver choice and keen pricing to both Business and Consumer and to uphold the welfare of the consumer

That would be a fantastic description of our glorious regulator if you change one small piece:
"and to uphold the welfare of the the incumbent".
Consumers are merely an inconvienece.

Why else could they possibly trot out such patent nonsense as this wonderful quote:

"Figure 2.5.1 shows Ireland being the most expensive Member State for the residential monthly line rental charge. This is due in part to Ireland’s population spread and the geography of the country. Whereas in other countries population density can reduce cost, Ireland’s population is more dispersed increasing the cost of provision of access."