After its full consultation, Ofcom says that Openreach does not need to be split off from BT entirely – but it should be a distinct company within the BT Group, complete with its own board of directors.
The different reports and analysis around OpenReach show an interesting and complicated topic, recommending different actions depending on which you read.
However, our view is a simple one: 60% of consumers choose their TV / phone / broadband packages first and foremost on broadband speed, and what matters most to them, as well as to businesses, is access to high speed connections across the UK. It isn't cheap to dig up roads and lay cables, and there are other solutions such as the 4g spectrum - saying whether OpenReach should be in / out of BT Group is not as important as clearly identifying the best solution to a very real customer need of access to superfast broadband.
- Mark Irwin, MD, broadbandchoices
