Ofcom Told Not To Relax BT Regulation
Posted: 18th Nov, 2005 By: MarkJ
The UK telecoms trade group (UKCTA), which is made up of operators like C&W and NTL, has told Ofcom not to relax its regulation of BT just yet:
In September, BT signed up to a regulatory framework aimed at increasing competition within the UK's telecoms sector. As part of that deal the former monopoly is creating a division - Openreach - to provide all operators, including its own BT Retail business, access to its service.
In return for this transparent and equal access to BT services and other legally binding undertakings, the regulator is looking to reduce the regulatory burden on BT where applicable.
The snag is, UKCTA is concerned that Ofcom is moving too fast, and is preparing to sweep away BT's regulation even before rival operators have had a chance to go head-to-head with the dominant player.
The UKCTA makes a correct point in that any new system or service needs to be fully and practically tested; simply toning down the regulation before Openreach has been given a good run seems senseless. Not to mention that outstanding issues still exist, even by Ofcom's own admission.
The move is in response to Ofcom issuing another consultation about relaxing BT's Retail Regulation for large business customers. More @ The Register.
In September, BT signed up to a regulatory framework aimed at increasing competition within the UK's telecoms sector. As part of that deal the former monopoly is creating a division - Openreach - to provide all operators, including its own BT Retail business, access to its service.
In return for this transparent and equal access to BT services and other legally binding undertakings, the regulator is looking to reduce the regulatory burden on BT where applicable.
The snag is, UKCTA is concerned that Ofcom is moving too fast, and is preparing to sweep away BT's regulation even before rival operators have had a chance to go head-to-head with the dominant player.
The UKCTA makes a correct point in that any new system or service needs to be fully and practically tested; simply toning down the regulation before Openreach has been given a good run seems senseless. Not to mention that outstanding issues still exist, even by Ofcom's own admission.
The move is in response to Ofcom issuing another consultation about relaxing BT's Retail Regulation for large business customers. More @ The Register.
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