Resolution of price disputes concerning supply of certain directory information by British Telecommunications plc to The Number (UK) Ltd and Conduit Enterprises Ltd

Ofcom has published two draft determinations under Sections 188 and 190 of the Communications Act 2003 (the “2003 Act”) for resolving two disputes: the first between The Number (UK) Limited (“The Number”) and British Telecommunications Plc (“BT”); and the second, between Conduit Enterprises Ltd (“Conduit”) and BT.

These two disputes were referred separately to Ofcom by The Number and Conduit on 7 September 2005 and 20 December 2005, respectively. The disputes remain procedurally distinct, but Ofcom has decided to deal with both of them in this document.

The primary issue arising in these disputes is whether charges paid by The Number and Conduit to BT for the supply of the contents of BT’s database (known as the ‘Operator Services Information System’ or “OSIS”) are consistent with BT’s regulatory obligations.