Posted: 23rd Jun, 2005 By: MarkJ
The Head of Regulation and Interconnect at THUS plc (Demon Internet), Richard Sweet, has welcomed todays agreement between BT and Ofcom, but cautions the regulator to make sure that BT keeps its word:
"THUS welcomes Ofcoms announcement that it has reached a settlement with BT. Ofcom has correctly identified equality of access at a key principle underpinning future regulation, and we hope it will drive substantial improvements in the way that BT treats us as customers. We also support Ofcom's decision not to make an Enterprise Act reference, which would have caused further uncertainty and disruption.
However, Ofcom must be prepared to take firm and swift action if BT fails to deliver on its undertakings. The most pressing issue facing industry today is next generation networks, and how to ensure that BT's 21st century network supports full and fair competition. We urge Ofcom to engage actively with BT to industry to provide greater clarity regarding the regulatory regime for NGNs."