Ofcom has today outlined a package of proposed
measures to support long-term investment in full-fibre
networks.
Consistent, predictable regulation over the coming years can help
companies build on recent full fibre commitments, and support the
Government’s ambition for 15 million homes to have access to
full-fibre broadband by 2025 – as set out in its Future Telecoms
Infrastructure Review.
These plans explain Ofcom’s proposed approach over future years
to support full-fibre investment, in order to provide certainty
for industry and investors. They include:
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Regulating business and residential markets
together. Companies investing in full fibre are
increasingly seeking to offer a range of services over a common
underlying network, serving both consumers and businesses. So
Ofcom will now consider these markets together.
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Plans for unrestricted access to Openreach’s ducts and
poles. The existing requirement for Openreach to
allow competing providers to use its telegraph poles and
underground ducts to lay their own fibre cables is currently
restricted to companies offering mainly residential and
small-business services. Ofcom will consult on plans to extend
this access to companies offering high-speed lines for large
businesses, as well as networks carrying data for mobile
operators.
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Different regulatory approaches in different parts of
the country. We intend to take a flexible
approach to regulation, reflecting how many different competing
fibre companies are present in a particular geographic area.
Where competing networks emerge, there will be scope for Ofcom
to deregulate.
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Extending the duration of regulation from three to five
years or more.To help provide more longer-term
certainty to investors, we will extend the period of our
telecoms market reviews from three years to at least five.
These plans follow the direction set by Ofcom in our 2016
Strategic Review of Digital Communications, which focused on
boosting investment in full fibre. Today’s proposals represent
the next step on that path – creating the conditions for
companies to invest in modern networks.
Ofcom will consult in detail on these proposals later this year.
