Review of the wholesale broadband access markets 2006/07 | Ofcom

Review of the wholesale broadband access markets 2006/07 | Ofcom

The consultation relates to broadband in the UK. Ofcom has segmented the UK into areas where BT or Kingston Commuications (KCOM) are the only providers of broadband and then were there are other operators in the exchanges.

The breakdown is: -

* those geographic areas covered by exchanges where KCOM is the only operator (“the Hull area”).

* those geographic areas covered by exchanges where BT is the only operator (“Market 1”);
those geographic areas covered by exchanges where there are 2 or 3 Principal Operators AND exchanges where there are 4 or more Principal Operators but where the exchange serves less than 10,000 premises (“Market 2”).

* those geographic areas covered by exchanges where there are 4 or more Principal Operators and where the exchange serves 10,000 or more premises (“Market 3”).

Ofcom has decided that it is a requirement to provide Network Access on reasonable requests, requirement not to discriminate unduly, requirement to publish a reference offer, requirement to notify terms and conditions, requirement to publish technical information, and requirement to have accounting separation.

The most significant bit is that in Market 3 areas Ofcom has decided that (in terms of broadband) BT no longer has significant market power (SMP) and it will be revoked in those areas.