Ofcom Website | Ofcom proposal to deregulate BT retail phone cost controls

Ofcom Website | Ofcom proposal to deregulate BT retail phone cost controls

Ofcom are proposing degregulating retail price controls on BT line rentals and calls.

This is a blessing for consumers as BT can now bundle all sorts of services together (i.e. free calls with line rental, or no line rental and higher call charges), however competitors are going to struggle. It also may provd the death knell for wireless broadband operators.

Ofcom's reasoning is that there are significant VoIP users utilising broadband (circa 500,000), there are now competing providers and other local loop operators.

Changes will takes place from August 1, 2006 which doesn't give competitors long to get their grip on the market.