CUT responds to OFTEL's proposals for local loop unbundling

London, 28 September 1999

For immediate release

The Campaign for Unmetered Telecommunications [CUT] has released its response to OFTEL's proposals for action on local loop unbundling (including availability of broadband services over BT's local loop).

Alastair Scott, Moderator of CUT, commented:

"When OFTEL's proposals for action came out we thought they were as good as we could reasonably have hoped for. However, a closer look turned up flaws, so we decided to produce a formal response.

The most serious problem with the proposals is that up to two and a half years may elapse from OFTEL's first consultation until any organisations are allowed to run broadband services over BT's local loop. This is a terribly long time and has given BT up to eighteen months to charge whatever price it wants for broadband services in the absence of competition."

The Campaign is also worried about the narrowness of OFTEL's proposals. Alastair Scott again:

"There is little mention of types of xDSL other than ADSL or of 'fibre in the local loop'. These superior technologies are a natural progression from ADSL and cannot be discussed separately from it.

Furthermore, there is only passing reference to ADSL Lite, a version of ADSL which can be integrated into PCs and Internet appliances during manufacture and which is relatively easy for users to set up. We understand that BT will not be implementing ADSL Lite in the near future and we know that hardware manufacturers are unhappy about this; for the first time they are relying on someone outside them implementing a service. Before now they could assume a standard phone socket and a supply of electricity."

Notes for Editors:

1. For the OFTEL 'proposals for action' see:

http://www.oftel.gov.uk/publications/1999/competition/llu0799.htm

2. For the CUT formal response to these proposals see:

http://www.unmetered.org.uk/reference/resp_280999.htm

3. For details of the various types of broadband (xDSL) services feasible over copper local loops see:

http://www.3com.com/solutions/dsl/dsl_what_is_dsl.html

4. For a summary of the issues involved in 'fibre over the local loop' (replacing the existing copper local loop with fibre-optic cabling) see:

http://www.fiberoptic.com/fibloop1.html

Contact:

Erol Ziya
Press Officer, Campaign for Unmetered Telecommunications
press@unmetered.org.uk

http://www.unmetered.org.uk/

0207 681 2831