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LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - BT said its Openreach unit
would offer long-term price certainty to its wholesale
communications provider customers to help drive the adoption of
the full fibre broadband network (FFBN) it is building across
the country.
BT is spending 15 billion pounds through its network arm
Openreach to build a fibre network serving 25 million homes by
the end of 2026 - five million more, and earlier, than
previously planned.
In order to boost uptake, Openreach will give communications
providers pricing certainty for up to 10 years where they commit
to use FFBN when available, said BT in a statement on Thursday.
BT gained a new billionaire investor in June when Patrick
Drahi, a Franco-Israeli telecoms entrepreneur, took a 12.1%
stake in the company.
He believes there is no need to sell a stake in Openreach, a
person familiar with the situation told Reuters. BT has recently
set out a plan to find a partner to help build part of its new
fibre network.
BT said its new price offer for communications providers
followed extensive engagement with its customers and sought to
offer them competitive prices plus a fair return to Openreach.
"We're determined to make full fibre the default option for
customers throughout the UK, so we've been working closely with
communications providers to offer simple and competitive
pricing," Openreach's managing director of customer Katie
Milligan said in the statement.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Kate Holton)
