The Conservatives have set out their plans for opening up the broadband market to competition, vowing to end BT’s monopoly over the cables and ducts which connect homes and businesses to the nearest exchange. We think they have got it right.
Competition has the power to transform markets. We’ve already seen that with local loop unbundling (LLU), the process which allows operators other than BT to provide broadband and phone services. LLU was the catalyst for much better and cheaper phone and broadband service, led of course by TalkTalk. Before we launched free broadband for voice customers, you used to have to pay £10 or more for broadband.
Now the Tories want to continue this successful approach by allowing competitors to access other monopoly parts of BT’s networks so we can invest in these new faster broadband networks without having to duplicate the assets that BT already has. This is the right thing to do. Giving other operators the chance to invest in new technology is the only way to supercharge our way to superfast broadband.
By allowing operators like TalkTalk to invest we can innovate like never before, giving people much faster broadband services and a richer internet experience. Relying on BT to make the investment will slow and limit the roll out of superfast services, stifle innovation and leave Britain lagging behind in the global digital revolution.
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Ken Mavor