Wholesale local access market review: Initial proposals to develop an effective PIA remedy

This consultation follows our Digital Communications Review (DCR) and a progress update published in July on supporting investment in ultrafast broadband networks.

The consultation concerns Openreach’s duct and pole access product, known as Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA). It builds on Openreach’s process improvement trials for PIA, conducted with the Office of the Telecommunications Adjudicator and five other telecoms providers, as well as our positive engagement with stakeholders since the DCR was published. It links the commitments made in the DCR to specific actions, setting out our initial views on what Openreach’s PIA product could be used for, how it should work in terms of processes, and how charges could be set. We explain how each of these areas in combination will help address concerns regarding barriers to investing in ultrafast broadband networks at scale.

We are in the process of reviewing the Wholesale Local Access (WLA) market, and intend to set out our full proposals in the spring of next year in light of our market analysis. In order to consider the full breadth of possibilities before making proposals, we are looking to develop options regarding PIA which may be appropriate to address any competition problems subsequently identified in the market review. We are therefore seeking input from stakeholders in this consultation to help us do this.

Draft statement published 23 February 2018

This draft statement sets out the conclusions of our wholesale local access market review in relation to the UK excluding the Hull Area.