Ofcom to force BT to share its super-fast broadband network with rivals

The UK telecoms watchdog, Ofcom is planning to force British Telecom (BT) to share its £1.5-billion super-fast" fibre optic broadband network, underground ducts and telegraph poles with its rivals in order to accelerate the spread of superfast broadband in the country.

Over the last four years Ofcom has been working to promote investment and competition in the fibre-optic technology since most of the UK household gets an average broadband-speed of 4Mbps using the conventional copper lines.

Ofcom is now proposing that BT share its super-fast" fibre optic broadband network with its rivals like BSkyB, TalkTalk, Carphone Warehouse and Virgin Media to speed up the spread of super-fast" fibre optic broadband in order to cover 40 per cent of the UK homes by 2012.

BT would then be able to set prices for these new wholesale products to enable them to make a fair rate return on investment similar to the way that BT's copper telephone network was opened to rival phone and broadband services earlier.

In order to allow other communications providers to build their own fibre networks more cost effectively, Ofcom is proposing that BT also offer other communications providers access to its underground ducts and overhead telegraph poles.

Ofcom's chief executive, Ed Richards said, 'Super-fast broadband is starting to be a reality in the UK, with very significant advances in recent months in the speeds some providers are offering.