Building Openreach
The creation of Openreach, the new business within BT formerly referred to as Access Services, is on track to launch and be fully operational from January 2006.
Openreach, under the leadership of Steve Robertson, Chief Executive, is a business within the BT Group, but it will treat other parts of the Group just like other customers.
Openreach will be responsible for the maintenance, repair and development of the access network which links homes and businesses to the local exchange, and the backhaul network, which links local exchanges to trunk exchanges and their associated product portfolio, including Local Loop Unbundling (LLU), Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) and backhaul (WES and BES).
Openreach will employ 30,000 people with a combined 700,000 man years of engineering experience. The business will have more than £8 billion of assets and projected revenues of over £4 billion.