Openreach must hit new targets from next week
26 Jun 2014 04:22 PM
- Rules for faster broadband and
telephone repairs and installations from 1 July
New rules to bring about faster
line repairs and installations for telephone and broadband customers will come
into effect on 1 July, Ofcom announced yesterday.
From that date, new performance
standards will apply to Openreach, the company that installs and maintains
connections to BT’s network on behalf of competing
providers.
Under the changes, the majority
of phone and broadband faults will have to be repaired within two working days,
while most customers requiring a new line must receive an appointment within 12
working days. Should Openreach fail to meet the new targets, the company will
face sanctions from Ofcom, which could include fines.
How the targets will
work
From next Tuesday, 1 July, as a
minimum Openreach must over the course of a given year:
- complete around 70% of fault
repairs within one to two working days of being notified. This requirement will
rise to around 80% by 2016;
- provide an appointment for
around 55% of new line installations that require an engineer visit within 12
working days of being notified. This requirement will also rise to around 80%
by 2016;
- make clear the timeframe in
which it is currently completing any remaining repairs or installations, to
provide reassurance to consumers about how long the work is likely to take;
and
- report publicly on its
performance. Openreach must publish quarterly reports on its website from
October at the latest. These reports will provide clear, meaningful and
transparent information about how long Openreach is taking to repair faults and
install new lines, allowing consumers to keep track of the company’s
performance. Ofcom will monitor Openreach’s service levels and intervene
further if necessary.
Boosting superfast broadband
competition
Yesterday’s statement is part of Ofcom’s Fixed Access
Market Reviews, a wide-ranging set of decisions in the UK wholesale telecoms
markets used by companies to offer telephone and broadband services to
consumers.
Following review by the European
Commission, Ofcom will implement decisions in the Reviewsannounced last month,
including:
- reducing the wholesale charge
paid when a consumer changes superfast broadband provider, from £50 to
£11. This will allow providers to offer lower retail start-up fees to
consumers, helping to promote competition in the growing superfast broadband
market; and
- cutting the minimum length of
the wholesale contract between providers when a customer switches superfast
broadband supplier, from a year to one month. This will provide flexibility for
telecoms providers to offer shorter retail contracts.
ENDSNOTES FOR
EDITORS
- Openreach targets will be
adjusted slightly to deal with instances where external factors beyond
Openreach’s reasonable control (such as extreme weather) mean it is not
possible to meet the service standard. The targets allow that up to 3% of
repairs and 1% of installations in a typical year might be delayed due to such
factors.
- Around 25-30% of new line orders
typically require an engineer visit. The new target of 12 working days will
apply to these jobs. Installations not requiring a visit are usually completed
within two working days.
- The targets apply to the two
main Openreach services, which allow competing providers to access BT’s
network: wholesale line rental and fully unbundled lines. The targets do not
apply to other products – such as fibre broadband, where BT has generally
met or exceeded its service level agreements. However, Ofcom may set targets
for other services in future if performance were to become a
concern.