Fixed access market reviews 2014: Statement

26 June 2014

This document sets out the conclusions of our review of the UK's Fixed Access Markets.

These markets cover the access connections used to provide telephone and broadband internet services (including superfast broadband) to residential and business consumers.

This document sets out the regulatory policies that we are introducing in these markets. These policies aim to promote competition and investment, which we believe will continue to deliver substantial benefit to consumers.Our assessment is focused on the wholesale level - the services bought by communications providers like Sky, TalkTalk and BT Consumer - as this has proved to be the best way of ensuring strong, effective competition at the retail level.

This review includes the following markets: Wholesale Local Access (the physical connection between the home/business location and the telephone exchange); Wholesale Fixed Analogue Exchange Lines (standard analogue telephone services) and; Wholesale ISDN2 and ISDN30 (digital telephone services, primarily for business use).The regulatory policies in these markets are intended to maintain confidence for investment and competition as the market moves from copper-based telecoms services to fibre-based superfast services.

An important issue is the margin available to competitors when selling fibre-based superfast services that are based on wholesale inputs which they buy from Openreach. A consultation setting out our proposals on this issue was published on 19 June 2014, and we expect to publish a final Statement later in 2014.

Key Documents