Open passage
Speaking to the FT today, BT CEO Ian Livingston said "We told Ofcom last year we're willing to provide open access to our ducts... and we are working with them on how to achieve it."
While the commitment to Ofcom happened a while ago, the statement appears to be a response to the pledge by shadow chancellor George Osborne to challenge the BT communications infrastructure ‘monopoly' and force it to open-up access to its ducts, if the Tories get into power later this year.
Livingston remains sceptical that merely opening-up access to BT's ducts would provide the market-led super-fast broadband ubiquity the Tories want to encourage, while scrapping Labours broadband tax. He's also understandably reluctant to let go of the promise of a bunch of public money to help BT extend its network.
"Although it's unlikely to be the silver bullet to get fibre to every home, open access to all ducts, not just ours, might help BT and others extend coverage and so we would like to see a future government support such a move," said Livingston.
Right now, of BT's rivals, only Virgin Media has its own network, with Sky and Talk Talk's broadband based on a wholesale product from BT. The FT piece suggests that, even if Sky or Talk Talk doesn't opt to lay its own network in BT's ducts, the possibility of them doing so may lead BT to lower its wholesale prices. Either way, it looks like good news for the consumer.
