Ofcom’s DSL Fact Sheet
March
This update reports progress made with ADSL and Local Loop Unbundling (LLU). It is not a complete overview of the DSL market, but gives a snapshot of the current issues and upcoming developments. For further information visit Ofcom’s Internet and Broadband Brief.
Contents
Progress update -ADSL -LLU -Developments -DSL -LLU -Current open cases
-Recently closed cases
-Annex A – DSL Providers
-Progress update
This update focuses on progress made in the last month and is not intended as a complete overview of ADSL roll-out or the LLU process. For background information, please click on the following: ADSL or LLU.
ADSL
Key DSL statistics at the end of February Number of BT (--) enabled exchanges:
DSL availability (via DSL): % of UK homes and businesses DSL take up: . million DSL connections However BT also advises that due to technical limitations, % of those living within an enabled exchange area will not be able to receive broadband services.
Once an exchange has been enabled to deliver ADSL, BT offers a range of wholesale products to service providers on the same terms and conditions to enable them to deliver the service to the end-user.
LLU
Key LLU statistics at the end of February
Number of fully unbundled loops: Number of unbundled shared loops: Total number of unbundled loops: Completed Physical Co-location facilities: Completed Distant location facilities:
General statistical data
Total number of exchanges in the UK Approx. , Number of fixed lines in the UK Approx. ,,
Number of BT provided lines ,,
-Developments
DSL
BT Introduces new pricing structure for ADSL
On January BT introduced a new pricing structure for ADSL Exchange Activate, the solution designed to deliver ADSL broadband to small communities.
ADSL Exchange Activate allows a community of users to purchase from BT Wholesale (via a service provider) the network capability to provide high speed internet access to end users. When the service was launched (July ) it was charged as a single up-front payment of £, for users for a three year period. The new wholesale pricing model reduces the up-front payment to £, and introduces connection and monthly line rental charges at the same rate as BT IPStream Home .
Broadband Movers Pilot
On the January BT began a pilot scheme which it hopes will enable End Users to request a new broadband service at their new address on the same day they move in and take over ownership of the BT PSTN line. The aim is to reduce the break in broadband services currently experienced during a move of premises.
Two million wholesale broadband connections
On February BT announced it had passed its self imposed target of two million wholesale broadband connections.
LLU
Throughout January and February work was completed at physical co-location and distant co-location sites.
LLU services are now widely available and loops have been connected. Since the last update services have been requested at over BT sites.
-Current open cases
Ofcom is conducting a number of investigations into allegations of anti-competitive behaviour. Some investigations were the result of industry complaints; Ofcom itself has initiated others. More details of Compliance casework are available on Ofcom’s online Competition Bulletin
() IPStream to DataStream Migration / Equal terms for DataStream
Tiscali and Thus have requested that BT make available a reasonably priced automated migration product for migration from IPStream to DataStream. Tiscali and Thus allege that the proposed price for IPStream to DataStream migrations is too high, and does not reflect actual costs of provision. Further, it has been alleged that BT is obstructing customer migration by imposing excessive network downtime, refusing to work at off-peak times to minimise disruption or to automate the process such that it operates effectively.
Tiscali and Thus also requested BT align the minimum contract terms for IPStream and DataStream.
Contact: Ruth Gibson ( e-mail: [email protected])
() BT Openworld’s Broadband Pricing: Following the Competition Appeal Tribunal's decision in Freeserve.com plc v Director General of Telecommunications of April , the Director General has undertaken to re-assess certain pricing issues raised by Freeserve in a letter to Oftel dated March .
The Director General of Telecommunications' (the "Director") reassessment of these pricing issues raised was concluded by way of a non-infringement decision on November and published as a closure entry on the Ofcom Competition Bulletin. The Director's decision has again been appealed by Freeserve to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (the "Tribunal").
-Recently closed cases
() BT's volume discount scheme for IPStream and DataStream
Oftel received a complaint from Energis, Tiscali and Your Communications about BT's volume discounts for IPStream and DataStream. The volume discount scheme
applied to IPStream and DataStream rental charges on the basis of predetermined spending commitments by customers.
It has been alleged that by implementing the volume discount scheme for IPStream and DataStream, BT is abusing its dominant position in the markets for the provision of wholesale bitstream services to ISPs and large businesses and corporate
customers.
Following BT's decision to change the structure of the volume discount scheme as announced on January , Ofcom does not consider that the current discount scheme, to which the original complaint relates, warrants any further investigation. Ofcom is therefore closing the case.
Contact: Ruth Gibson ( e-mail:[email protected]) () Terms in the Access Network Facilities (ANF) agreement
Swedia Networks UK Limited complained that Paragraph . of the ANF agreement was inconsistent with paragraph .. of the Oftel Determination LLU: The Terms of the Access Network facilities Agreement (The 'Determination').
In response to Ofcom's investigation, BT has proposed an amendment to paragraph . of the ANF Agreement to follow the text of the Determination. This proposal will be put to the LLU Industry Group in March and, once approved, incorporated into the ANF agreement.
In light of BT's proposal Ofcom does not consider that further investigation is
necessary at this time. Ofcom is closing the case but will monitor the implementation of the contractual amendments and re-open the case should any problems arise. Contact: Ian Vaughan ( email: [email protected])
-() Suspected discrimination by BT in the provision of customer order handling procedures for BT Broadband access products
Following BT's publication of the criteria on which BT Wholesale will expedite all customers' orders for IPStream and DataStream (published within the terms of its Customer Service Plan (CSP)), Ofcom does not consider that the scope and extent of BT's escalation and expedite process, to which the original complaint relates, warrants further investigation at this time.
Ofcom intends to publish guidance on non-discrimination obligations later in . Ofcom is therefore closing the case.
Contact: Richard Thompson ( e-mail:
-Annex A – DSL Providers
Following Oftel's Direction of June (click for details), which required BT to provide interconnection to its broadband DSL network, and recent changes to BT's interconnection products, other operators now have the option of offering
competing wholesale products to those offered by BT. Ofcom is now responsible for ensuring that the prices for the interconnection products required by other operators to compete with BT are set at a level that encourages competition between different providers of broadband services.
Wholesale DSL products can also be provided by the incumbent operators, BT and Kingston or by LLU operators.
Wholesale services can be obtained from the operators listed below: BT http://www.btwholesale.com/index.jsp Bulldog Communications http://www.bulldogdsl.com Easynet http://www.easynet.net/solutions/solutions_solutionpage.asp?id= Ednet http://www.ednet.co.uk/products_services/ Kingston Communications http://www.kcom.com/ Telefónica UK http://www.uk.telefonica.com/ Thus Communications http://www.thus.net/products/products_home.htm Tiscali http://www.tiscali-business.co.uk/
-Annex B – LLU Statistics
Total number of exchanges in the UK Approx. , Number of fixed lines in the UK Approx. ,,
Number of BT provided lines ,,
Enabled LLU exchanges Site name
Acocks Green Leeds
Acton Leith
Altrincham Leicester Central
Ardwick Leominster
Ashton Under Hill Lewes
Aston Cross Leytonstone
Attercliffe Liverpool
Basford Lower Holloway
Basingstoke Maida Vale
Battersea Maidenhead
Bayswater Manchester
Beaconsfield Market Bosworth
Bedford Marylebone Belfast Mayfair
Bermondsey Merton Park
Birmingham Central Middlesbrough
Bishopsgate Middleton
Blackfriars Mill Hill
Bloomsbury Montfort
Bolton Monument
Bracknell Morley Bradwell Morningside
Brentwood Muswell Hill
Bridport Newcastle
Brixton New Cross
Bromley New Southgate
Bury Nine Elms
Byfield North Finchley
Calne North Paddington
Cambridge Nottingham Longbow
-Site name
Carlisle Overbury
Chelsea Oldham
Cheltenham Paddington Cherry Hinton Parsons Green
Chertsey Perivale
Chiswick Pimlico
Clerkenwell Poplar
Colindale Portsmouth
Cosham Portsmouth North
Covent Garden Primrose Hill
Coventry Pudsey
Cricklewood Putney
Crouch End Reading Central
Croydon Reading South
Dartford Redcliffe
Derby Richmond Kew
Ealing Rose Street
East Acton Royal
Eccles Science Park
Edgbaston Sheffield
Edgware Sheldon
Edinburgh Shepherds Bush
Euston Shoreditch
Faraday Slough Main
Fareham Soho
Feltham South Harrow
Finchley South Kensington
Fleet Southbank
Fulham Southwark
Gatley Stockton
Glasgow Central Stockport Glasgow Douglas Stoke on Trent
Gloucester Stratford Golders Green Stubbington
Greenwich Tottenham Guildford Trafford Hammersmith Twickenham Hampstead Urmston Harrow Uxbridge Havant Vauxhall
-Site name
Haverford west Victoria
Headingley Walsall
Hendon Wandsworth
Henley on Thames Wapping
High Wycombe Warrington
Holborn Watford
Hove Waverley
Hunslet Wembley
Hunts Cross West Kensington
Isleworth Westminster
Kemptown Weybridge
Kensal Green Whitehall
Kensington Garden Willesden
Kentish Town Wimbledon
Kings Cross Windsor
Kingsland Green Wokingham
Kingsmead Wood Street
Kingston Worthing Central
