BT gets arse kicked again

Ofcom orders BT price cuts for broadband rivals
By Tim Richardson
Published Thursday 16th December 2004 12:31 GMT

Communications regulator Ofcom has confirmed a new set of charges
today that will form the basis of local loop unbundling (LLU) in the
UK. Ending a seven-month consultation into LLU which has seen charges
for rival operators come down by as much as 70 per cent, it should
pave the way for other operators to invest and provide alternative
wholesale services direct to customers.

The new charges come into effect from January 1.

As well as bringing down price, BT has also been forced to address its
own cack-handed internal processes that make LLU so laborious and
time-consuming for rival operators.

Said BT Wholesale exec Paul Reynolds: "BT has worked productively with
the [LLU] Adjudicator and the industry to develop suitable processes.
Together with this package of price changes we believe the right
climate has been created to develop a market in which those who are
willing to innovate and invest can reap appropriate rewards."

Which is curious. Four years ago there were a number of companies
around prepared to invest in LLU. Except BT dragged its feet, argued
the toss for every square inch of ground and refused to budge on its
high charges and made life so hellishly difficult. Oftel, Ofcom's
predecessor, described the process as being like "trench warfare"
before conceding it was "a painful and often miserable process".

This year's price reductions have only come about because of
meaningful threats from the regulator.

And on Reynold's insistence that BT has "worked productively with the
[LLU] Adjudicator and the industry to develop suitable processes", the
'LLU Czar' said just three weeks ago: "Significant operational
problems remain". That's right, not minor, but "significant
operational problems remain".

Despite BT's tardiness, some operators are willing to invest in LLU.
EasyNet has just unveiled a wholesale unbundled service for telcos and
ISPs, while Wanadoo UK has started ordering LLU lines from BT. ®
Related stories

LLU dogged by 'significant operational problems'

"Chabon_a_shitstain" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) ...
> Ofcom orders BT price cuts for broadband rivals
> By Tim Richardson
> Published Thursday 16th December 2004 12:31 GMT
>
> Communications regulator Ofcom has confirmed a new set of charges
> today that will form the basis of local loop unbundling (LLU) in the
> UK.

BT was meant to be closing down the PSTN network in less than 10 years time
and going VoIP. The first three trial exchanges go live in 2005. Every
green street cabinet in the UK was going to be fed by fibre. Not sure it
will be worth their while now.

informer wrote:
> "Chabon_a_shitstain" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed) ...
>> Ofcom orders BT price cuts for broadband rivals
>> By Tim Richardson
>> Published Thursday 16th December 2004 12:31 GMT
>>
>> Communications regulator Ofcom has confirmed a new set of charges
>> today that will form the basis of local loop unbundling (LLU) in the
>> UK.
>
> BT was meant to be closing down the PSTN network in less than 10
> years time and going VoIP. The first three trial exchanges go live
> in 2005. Every green street cabinet in the UK was going to be fed by
> fibre. Not sure it will be worth their while now.

Old plans which were put on hold years ago by the powers that be, at the
time (don't you just love the boy's, & girls, in blue) as it would be better
done by private industry (BT wasn't privatised at the time). Fibre to the
PCP, if they developed a workable broadband product to go with it, would be
a very positive step forward.

In MsgID<41c22178$0$9358$(E-Mail Removed)> within
uk.telecom.broadband, '"kraftee" <kraftee@spamoff& die.com>' wrote:

>>Every green street cabinet in the UK was going to be fed by
>> fibre. Not sure it will be worth their while now.
>
>Old plans which were put on hold years ago by the powers that be, at the
>time (don't you just love the boy's, & girls, in blue) as it would be better
>done by private industry

<Giggle>

Dave J.