Ofcom this morning published its statement on the Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review (“WFTMR”) that sets out how Ofcom will regulate telecom fixed access services for the 5 years from 1 April 2021. A major focus of the statement sets out how Ofcom will stimulate next generation Fibre to the Premises (“FTTP”) broadband investment across the UK.
Based on an initial assessment, BT believes that the document is broadly in line with the expectations laid out at their Q3 2020/21 financial results and, when taken as a whole, will allow BT to earn a fair return on its c.£12 billion FTTP investment.
As a result, BT is today confirming its plan to build FTTP to 20 million premises by the mid- to late-2020s.
Philip Jansen, Chief Executive, BT Group said:
“This is good news for all fibre providers in the UK. For us, it is the greenlight we’ve been waiting for to get on and build like fury. Full fibre broadband will be the foundation of a strong BT for decades to come and a shot in the arm for the UK as we build back better from this pandemic. Connecting the country has never been more vital”.
Clive Selley, CEO, Openreach added:
“We’ve now passed almost 4.5 million premises and are building faster, at lower cost and higher quality than anyone else in the UK. Today’s regulation will allow us to ramp up to 3 million premises per year providing vital next generation connectivity for homes and business right across the UK”.
BT says that further details of their build plan will be announced once they have undertaken a full review of the WFTMR statement and have a better understanding of any further government support available to aid the industry’s roll-out of FTTP.
