Final Edition
Welcome to the final issue of BT's Undertakings Bulletin. Since the Undertakings were signed in 2005 there has been a huge amount of progress. Unbundled loop services have moved from being a minor element on the fringe of communications competition to centre stage. The range of Ethernet services to support competition has grown. Openreach is an established and effective part of the environment, with a proud record of service quality improvement. Equivalent supply of Openreach services is business as usual for most BT new end-users, and for a growing proportion of the installed base. The Equality of Access Board is established and proving an effective safeguard in ensuring BT maintains best practice in honouring its Undertakings.
The functional separation model established in the UK is prompting regimes across the globe to reconsider how best to ensure fair access to 'bottleneck services'. Variants on the Openreach theme are underway in New Zealand, Italy and Sweden. Provision for functional separation is being proposed as part of the EU framework review. Interest is also strong in many other parts of the world.
More remains to be done here, in particular in bringing to a conclusion systems separation and installed base migrations and in carrying forward the Undertakings disciplines into our 21st century network. But the bulk of the ground has been broken, and living with and honouring the Undertakings has become business as usual.
Reporting on progress is to become part of business as usual too. From now on readers will get their updates on Undertakings issues through their usual account management channels, as well as through the Equality of Access Board's regular reporting.
This last issue of the Bulletin reports on progress on WLR3, both in terms of adoption of the equivalent input by BT's downstream businesses and in relation to further product improvements from Openreach. It also covers the launch of equivalent use of digital WLR services for downstream production of ISDN2 and ISDN30. There is a brief update on what BT is doing following Ofcom's review of the impact of the Telecoms Strategic review and a reminder of the options open to Communications providers with issues to raise about the Undertakings.
Peter McCarthy-Ward
Director of Equivalence
BT has put in place processes to ensure that any complaints raised by Communication Providers in relation to the Undertakings are managed effectively.
In December Ofcom published their annual assessment of the impact of the Telecommunications Strategic review.
View complete article "Ofcom’s Assessment of the Telecoms Strategic Review"
From March 2008, BT will be providing new end-users of ISDN30 with a service based on an equivalent product.
BT continues to serve all new consumer and business customers using the equivalent systems and processes of WLR3.