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LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Britain's telecoms regulator said
it would "supercharge" investment in fibre broadband networks
with major proposals to change regulation of the national
Openreach network owned by BT.
The new regime, which will span 2021-2026, will see
different regulation for urban and rural areas, which Ofcom said
would help ensure nobody gets left behind.
Broadband was centre stage in Britain's election last month
when the opposition Labour Party said it would nationalise the
Openreach network and provide free broadband for all.
Boris Johnson's Conservatives, which won, promised to roll
out full-fibre to all homes by 2025, putting pressure on Ofcom
and providers to close the gap with European rivals that have
rolled out far more "gold standard" full-fibre networks.
Ofcom's interim CEO Jonathan Oxley said the new plans for
regulation would help fuel a full-fibre future for the whole
country.
"We're removing the remaining roadblocks to investment and
supporting competition, so companies can build the networks that
will drive the UK into the digital fast lane," he said on
Wednesday.
Ofcom said it would also ease regulation on Openreach's
ageing copper network in areas where full fibre is rolled out so
BT does not have the cost of running two networks and to
encourage customers to switch to faster services under the
proposals.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Kate Holton)
