Ofcom Broadband Framework announcements

Issued today...

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Ofcom today announced a number of proposals intended to increase sustainable
and effective competition in broaderband data, content and voice services.
The proposals focus on:

- Ofcom's Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) market review consultation, announced
today. The consultation proposes a significant development of the LLU market
to allow operators to target investment and to develop scale in the creation
of new and competitive high-speed data services based in the UK's local
broadband exchanges. Ofcom welcomes BT's commitment to that process and its
announcement this morning of a 70% reduction in its charges to operators
leasing unbundled shared local loops.

- The establishment of a Telecoms Adjudicator, independent of regulator and
industry, intended to oversee the swift development of LLU processes.
Ofcom's final statement on its Wholesale Broadband Access market review,
also published today. The statement sets out a framework, pricing approach
and a technology evolution path to enable all operators to plan for
long-term and large-scale investment.

- In the fixed-line voice market, the need to address some of the structural
disadvantages inherent in the current Carrier Pre-Select (CPS) regulations.
In this context, Ofcom welcomes BT's commitment, announced this morning, to
offer local call bundles to its CPS competitors interconnecting at the local
exchange, with the benefit of greater cost savings and operational
efficiency.

Ofcom is reviewing and will be consulting on the overhead wholesale charges
paid by operators to BT to connect to BT's network.
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More at :
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media_office...ws/nr_20040513
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/current/rwlam/
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/codes_guidel...oadbandreview/

Regards
Sunil