The Telecommunications adjudicator (OTA), Peter Black, has released his latest monthly (October) report on the status of UK local loop unbundling (LLU) - HERE. The precise figure of unhooked lines is not stated, but we do learn that the number will pass 1,000,000 within a few days!

During early 2006 it was boasted that unbundled UK lines could hit up to 3m by years end, a ridiculous claim (we felt). Roughly six months later the OTA finally figured this out and revised its target to 1m, which it is now pleased to boast about, albeit less of a success.

Meanwhile we continue to keep track of the statistics, although the 1m figure for this month should be considered an early 'estimate' since no precise number has been given:


The previous months update was also noteworthy for its scathing remarks about the problems within Openreach. Since then the OTA has attempted to enforce some change and accountability from BT, while the operator itself is busy boosting staff numbers. The current state of play is largely summarised below:


We’d expect to see some tangible improvements before the end of 2006, with new staff helping clearance times and a greater focus on the problems producing higher quality. Three million lines are perhaps not impossible by the end of 2007, but that’s our own guesstimate.