Openreach pitches its tent as Ofcom preps review of broadband market rules
- Reference: 1725879344
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/09/09/openreach_review_ofcom_prep/
- Source link:
As the infrastructure arm of Britain's former state-owned telecoms monopoly BT, Openreach continues to upgrade the network in line with government goals, aiming to roll out fiber broadband to 25 million premises by the end of 2026.
Regulator Ofcom's Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review (WFTMR), which took effect on 1 April 2021, delivered a five-year package of rules which it hoped would extend for at least five more if outcomes were proceeding as expected.
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However, Ofcom is now conducting a ( [2]Telecoms Access Review 2026 ) and is asking for industry input before setting rules for the next five years starting April 2026.
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Hence, Openreach is publishing its views about what should happen with the future of Britain's broadband infrastructure in a report entitled " [5]A blueprint for continuing success in the UK's telecoms market " [PDF].
For its part, the operator says the WFTMR isn't just working, it's working better than expected for the UK, as millions of UK homes and businesses can now access "ultrafast, ultra-reliable" full fiber broadband services, and these new networks are being extended "at a world leading pace."
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Looking beyond 2026, the report claims investment in infrastructure will continue, so long as there is stability and certainty.
Openreach also expects that investment will come in the form of consolidation, which it claims is "considered inevitable" by many industry commentators, and says "companies still need to invest heavily to connect customers as the orders come in, so it doesn't just stop when the build stops."
We assume the latter is a reference to the fact that simply cabling out neighborhoods doesn't solve anything, unless network plumbers actually make the last part of the connection to subscribers' premises.
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The company also says that retail providers - internet service providers (ISPs) - will "work with network providers to build compelling propositions and packages that drive greater adoption, improve customer satisfaction and retention, and expand long-term opportunities to increase customer value."
Could Openreach be referring here to its own [8]Equinox 2 discount pricing scheme, which offers ISPs incentives to get them to push new subscribers towards fiber broadband when they sign up?
This has proved controversial, especially among alternative network providers (altnets) who claim it would give Openreach an unfair advantage in winning new customers, as the discounts would dissuade ISPs from using altnets when putting new subscribers on fiber connections.
Ofcom, however, [9]sided with the incumbent and allowed it to go ahead with the Equinox 2 discount pricing scheme, despite objections from the smaller network operators that it allowed the dominant player to undercut them.
One of the company's new asks is that Ofcom "should reject self-interested calls from some parts of the industry to restrict how Openreach competes," which to our mind sounds like a call to allow Openreach to continue with the discount schemes, despite any protests. We asked Openreach what was meant by this and a spokesperson said:
Openreach CEO Clive Selley's
comment is more about rivals opening up their infrastructure – ducts and poles etc, and other aspects like restrictions on our ability to upgrade existing infrastructure inside large residential buildingsmultiple dwelling units
.The spokesperson also confirmed that "Previous opposition to Equinox 2 is an element in all of this," although they said it was "worth remembering that this is not so much a pressing issue following Ofcom's decision last year, that 'Equinox 2 is consistent with promoting investment in gigabit-capable networks by Openreach and other operators and promoting network-based competition, ultimately delivering better consumer outcomes."
Openreach's chief also made a further dig at rivals, with Selley stating its own network of poles and ducts has been open for other network providers to access since 2011, but claiming the same can't be said for others.
"Ofcom and Government should also require Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) and others to open up their duct and pole networks on the same transparent terms including price as Openreach's duct and poles product," Selley opined when announcing the company's blueprint.
In response, a spokesperson for VMO2 told us: "The ability to use Virgin Media's ducts on a commercial basis already exists, but Openreach has significant market power in the UK and a footprint that covers almost all of the country, so it is right that it remains appropriately regulated to ensure it cannot use its monopolistic muscle to constrain emerging competition."
Going further, VMO2 said it and others are building out fiber to increase network choice in the UK and "it is important that Ofcom supports these investments so that truly scaled competition can be realised in future. Calling for regulatory intervention on others who are building alternative networks is a worrying and diversionary tactic that Openreach has used before with no success."
[10]BT chief blames regulations for UK lagging in next-gen network rollout
[11]The last mile's at risk in our hostile environment. Let’s go the extra mile to fix it
[12]UK minister tells telcos to share telegraph poles if they can't lay cable underground
[13]Virgin Media to stand up rival network operator to BT Openreach
VMO2 announced plans in February to [14]open its fixed line broadband networks by handing them over to a newly formed subsidiary intended to eventually form a rival to Openreach in the nationwide infrastructure provider stakes.
The blueprint document also has suggestions for how the UK government could support broadband growth. Openreach claims it typically applies for 300,000 permits a year to local councils across the country in order to deliver upgrades on a street-by-street basis.
This could be made more efficient by allowing flexi-permitting, reducing permit processing by up to 90 percent, the company reckons. The model could subsequently be used to support the roll-out of on-street electric charging solutions, it says.
Openreach is also advocating for legislative amendments to grant it automatic upgrade rights to fit high-rise apartment block buildings with fiber. Currently, it can use existing access rights to maintain the copper network in these buildings, but not to upgrade them, it claims.
Ofcom expects to kick off its main consultation on proposals for changes to regulation early next year, and aims to make public its final decisions in early 2026. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Zt8boionb2P5fVKwFPcq1wAAAcA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/telecoms-infrastructure/narrowband-broadband-fixed/telecoms-access-review-2026/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zt8boionb2P5fVKwFPcq1wAAAcA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.openreach.com/content/dam/openreach/openreach-dam-files/new-dam-(not-in-use-yet)/documents/reports/A-blueprint-for-continuing-success-in-the-UKs-telecoms-market-telecoms-access-review-2026-online.pdf
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[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zt8boionb2P5fVKwFPcq1wAAAcA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/19/openreach_offers_more_fiber_discounts/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/24/uk_regulator_openreach_discount/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/06/bt_chief_blames_regulations_broadband_rollout/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/18/opinion_networks/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/15/uk_gov_telegraph_poles/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/19/virgin_media_product_to_rival_openreach/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/19/virgin_media_product_to_rival_openreach/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Still need more competition?
Doesn't sound normal to me. If my connection drops, it takes <1 min to get back up again.
Re: Still need more competition?
If the ISP is saying it's Openreach faults, that points to the physical link dropping.
Remember, PPP runs over another service - over VDSL for FTTC, over ethernet for FTTP.
When the PPP drops, do you see a drop on the physical link?
If the link drops, PPP will not be able to connect till a) the remote end is contactable, and b) the remote end is ready to accept the connection.
I have had link drops where as soon as it's back up the PPP session could be remade, and others where after the drop the remote end hadn't timed out from the previous session.
Re: Still need more competition?
If the ISP is saying it's Openreach faults, that points to the physical link dropping.
True and for FTTC/P most of that is OR equipment. But if it's ADSL (hopefully not many of those left by now but an unstable connection usually means ADSL) then it might not be Openreach equipment at the head-end.
Re: Still need more competition?
ISPs will try and fob you off with any old excuse. Usually, if they physical link is OK, then it's the ISP. You should be able to tell if your VDSL link goes down, or your fibre, by looking at the DSL light or the fibre ONT respectively and seeing the one of the lights goes out.
Your ISP should absolutely be able to tell if it's a physical link problem.
Openreach can be unreliable, especially when not using fibre, but ISPs can be pretty awful too.
Re: Still need more competition?
That certainly isn't normal but whether its down to OR or not depends on the type of connection.
If it's FTTC/P then yes it's OR and it needs to be fixed as it's clearly a fault. A quick check of my [1]TBBQM data shows the only drops my FTTC connection has had in the last year have been in the early hours and they were almost certainly the result of maintenance.
On the odd occasion when I've had to switch my router off I reconnect in less than a minute.
If you are still on ADSL then it might BT Wholesale or someone completely different eg; TalkTalk. Either way you need to have a serious talk with your ISP and keep at them until it's fixed. This is why I avoid the budget end of the ISP market. I rarely do have an issue but if I do I know that IDNet will resolve it and quickly.
[1] https://www.thinkbroadband.com/broadband/monitoring/quality
It's great.
When I moved to Watford nearly a decade ago, the entire estate/street had no significant broadband.
They offered me "up to 4Mbps". I'm not joking. And wanted me to pay £160 to resurrect the line because obviously previous tenants had not thought it worth the effort. No cable. No alternative providers.
No fibre. That was it. We all used 4G etc. instead and got far better speeds for years.
I could literally have thrown a stone and hit the city centre.
I moved near Oxford. Completely rural area, miles from anything. I got 30Mbps with an option to 70Mbps. Who through? Openreach and their resellers. That's it. No other options. Nothing. Not even a wifi or satellite provider.
I bought a router with DSL and 5G and that's all I can get (and the 5G is actually 4G and very ropey but better than nothing if the DSL goes off).
25+ years ago, when my brother and I first convinced my parents to move away from a modem and get a DSL line (which up until then was just something that we only heard US people talk about on IRC), we got 8Mbps down, then 24Mbps in the space of a couple of years. I've literally not progressed significantly in home DSL connectivity (or wealth of options) in over 25 years.
I would buy a Starlink connection TOMORROW if Elon wasn't involved in it (come on and hurry up with yours, Bezos! At least you're the lesser of two evils!).
So all this "world-leading" nonsense implication is just that. My daughter in Spain has gigabit fiber (proper fibre FTTP, a literal fibre hanging out of the wall) by default. I've priced up leased lines, backup DSL connections, 5G, etc. for workplaces smack-bang in the middle of towns and only leased-lines are at all viable in terms of speeds for them, but cost the Earth.
We are *decades* behind. Literally decades. Some areas get ludicrous speed, but the outliers never catch up, or even match the pace (if it took 10 years to upgrade a dense city, for example, why would it take 25 years for a rural connection to pick up the tech that's now OBSOLETE in the city and still be behind?).
There is still no plan for ANYTHING in my area in terms of upgrades. All the community wifi, etc. projects don't cater to us or require so many people to sign up we'd have to start importing residents to achieve the necessary numbers. The only option is to ignore ALL existing infrastructure and go with something like Starlink. Which tells you just how good "BT" / "Openreach" / "Ofcom" really are.
The Government rules of engagement say that Ofcom has to upgrade x% of subscribers to fiber. Those subscribers are predominantly in city areas and some are easier to do that others so delivery can be manipulated to give the correct statistics. But ask yourself, where do you see VM or Cityfibre installing outside of an urban environment? That's not because of a pointless Government dictat but because of cheap, dense infrastructure installation where they can chop through existing services and let Openreach/electricity supplier/water board take the flak (or all three in a local, resurfaced the month before, housing estate). They do not care about less profitable subscribers but at least Openreach have to supply most of them ...
Be careful what you wish for.
Seems people aren't mentioning one issue with fibre rollout: That the old copper cable is removed at that point meaning the old phone systems are removed: You have to swap to VOIP.
Issue there is VOIP requires power where the old copper phonelines provided that power. So now you're at risk if there's a power cut: You also lose your phoneline. True, mobiles may cover you, but there are places where you won't get reliable mobile signal (I live in one such place) so a land line is pretty much essential. So having UPS on your broadband/VOIP kit is kind of essential. And a battery backup should the power be down for more than a few hours (also comes in handy if you need to power other things while the mains is down, but... need the right kind of kit depending on the output required).
Seems people aren't mentioning one issue with fibre rollout: That the old copper cable is removed at that point meaning the old phone systems are removed: You have to swap to VOIP.
People are going to have to do that anyway. [1]BT announced the end of their PSTN several years ago . It was due to end last year but it got an extension to the end of 2027. Whether you have fibre or copper (or even carrier pigeon) you're going to have to switch to VoIP anyway.
[1] https://www.btwholesale.com/news-and-resources/news-insights-events/insights/wlr-stop-sell-has-begun.html
ISPs won't give you a PSTN line / number nowadays, even if you switch to them rather than get a new account. I had a number from a previous ISP, I switch this week, I literally can't take the number with me (and the old ISP kept telling me to get ready for Digital Voice - i.e. SIP - on my main number and not having an PSTN line/number, but never did anything about it).
They are chasing businesses to terminate them and are putting prices up for PSTN lines (ours go up this month for the remaining "emergency" lines we have).
It doesn't matter one bit to me, but if you had an old landline, you're going to HAVE to move to VoIP very soon.
Private roads
The big issue around here is private roads. It seems that Openreach don't want to engage with anyone living on a private road - meaning we are stuck with a flaky DSL connection which drops out about once a day.
Re: Private roads
Actually it's usually the owners of the road who don't respond to Openreach or deny them permission.
[1]Openreach need to obtain a wayleave from the owner.
"Openreach does have certain statutory powers under The Code to be able to install our apparatus without the need for a signed wayleave agreement. However, we would only consider using these powers under exceptional circumstances and if we are left with no other alternative."
[1] https://d2haref.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/contactus/wayleaves/wayleavesfaqs/wayleavesfaqs.do
A Joke From OpenReach??
Here at Linux Mansions both OpenReach and BT have confirmed MULTIPLE times recently that OpenReach and BT have ABSOLUTELY NO PLANS whatever for fibre to the Linux Mansions apartment. This after letters to the BT CEO, the OpenReach CEO, and subsequent person-to-person telephone conversations with ACTUAL PEOPLE at OpenReach and BT.
So......imagine my surprise when a Swedish company called "Open Infra" offered me fibre-to-the-premises in June 2024....with a commitment to complete the installation this month.
Yup.....Swedish! Yup....September 2024!
Quote: ".... calls from some parts of the industry to restrict how Openreach competes...." --------- a joke surely?
We assume the latter is a reference to the fact that simply cabling out neighborhoods doesn't solve anything, unless network plumbers actually make the last part of the connection to subscribers' premises.
Well yes but that's industry practice. It makes no financial sense to connect every property to such a service. It's highly unlikely that every property will want it immediately and some will wait until the copper is withdrawn. Others might decide that mobile broadband is perfectly adequate.
According to their latest results take-up on Openreach's network is running at about 30% which is pretty decent. The other 70% can and should be left until the property owner asks for it.
And I agree that VM should be made to open up its ducts. In addition I think that anyone who has to deal with blocked ducting should be required (with compensation) to restore it to viability. At present an Altnet can bypass the Openreach ducting but their new ducting remains their property for their sole use. That seems unhelpful to whoever comes next.
Basically I think that ducting of any kind should be considered a public resource. That will reduce the cost and disruption of multiple operators digging the roads and pavements up.
Openreach should be required to keep accurate data on their network and freely share this with others.
Also instead of all these overbuilds a non profit should have been created to own the lot and then distributed the work evenly with GPON being binned by now and all infrastructure being put in being symmetrical XGSPON and existing GPON being replaced.
Instead we have a shambolic free market approach that's led to some streets being dug up 5 or more times, streets missed because of past decisions intentionally made by GPO, BT, Openretch to have used direct in ground cabling to save money / impede competitors / up the amount they can charge for future maintenance (no ducting)
openreach are clueless
My town marked in 2020 to be upgraded by 2026, status on openreach fibre checker says that, then goes to build not planned and now to not yet available, yet their own mapping still has my town marked down to be upgraded and their site doesn't explain any further.
I query this with them and get an email saying it has to be passed to second line as they see what I mean but don't have the information so have asked a specialist team to respond. Great I think, *maybe* they have realised being a shower of borderline abusive wastrels isn't a good thing?
In the meantime while waiting for an answer, I come home and notice an openreach van leaving and on the pavement OLT and PWR has been spray painted.
Now I'm thinking "wow, perhaps someone has looked into it and realised there has been an oversight?" and I'm now understandably optimistic and thinking positively of openreach.
I check my email and get a proforma response from second line telling me "they have no plans to upgrade my area but please keep checking our website, however if you want it sooner you can purchase our FTTP on demand service that provides up to 330mbps of download speed"
......cue positivity extinguished
Just shows how utterly clueless and incompetent openreach are that they can't even communicate internally ......hopeless is a total understatement.
I replied with the photos (as they don't believe you otherwise) to be met with deafening silence - as per usual
Clearly still think they are the only telecoms supplier and worse to some extent think they legally should be the only option on a take it or leave it basis....
Re: openreach are clueless
"our FTTP on demand service that provides up to 330mbps of download speed"
Which costs thousands to install, if I remember correctly, and is basically a "home" leased-line.
Here's the thing, openreach for all its sins is forced to provide access to all to its equipment and ducts, cannot really set their own prices and have to provide to unprofitable locations. Alt nets including Virgin (who have over 16m subscribers) do not.
Hence you get the current situation of all the providers over provisioning in certain locations to take the cream then whine like girls because they don't get access to the places they didn't want to invest in and in the places they have built, refuse to let anyone else in.
In other words they are self sucking leeches happy to refuse to take part in creating an open and complete fibre network of the UK.
Still need more competition?
The service with my current ISP is provisioned by Openreach.
The PPP session drops fairly regularly and takes ~5 minutes to reconnect - which is a real pain when streaming a movie or when in a web meeting.
I've also suffered at least three outages of over 30 minutes where the PPP session dropped.
My ISP says these are down to Openreach faults and "normal behaviour" (if the session drops it takes 5 minutes of the connection to be cleared). A couple of questions:
1) Does that sound plausible, or are the ISP themselves responsible for the PPP session?
2) Why does the system ignore PPP connection attempts for 5 minutes?
None of this makes any sense to me.
If this is down to Openreach, then we need alt nets in the area so that I can move else where.