This follows Ofcom’s Business Connectivity Market Review, which has examined the £2bn-a-year market for wholesale leased lines. These are used by businesses, mobile operators and broadband providers to transfer data over their networks.

The proposals are subject to comments from the European Commission. They include new price controls on BT, the major provider of wholesale leased line services, which would significantly reduce the price of newer products based on modern Ethernet* technology for many businesses. This will help meet the growing demand for fast data services from the likes of schools, universities, mobile operators, internet providers and consumers.

Ofcom is proposing that BT’s very high-bandwidth, wholesale leased line services at speeds above 1 Gbit/s – in all parts of the UK except London and Hull1 – should be subject to regulation, as BT has been found to have ‘significant market power’ in this relatively new market. For Ethernet products with speeds up to and including 1 Gbit/s, Ofcom’s draft decision is broadly to maintain existing regulation, including charge controls and a requirement on BT to provide access on a strictly non-discriminatory basis. Ofcom is, however, proposing to impose significant price reductions outside London, at 11% below inflation per year over the next three years.

Under the draft decisions, BT’s prices for leased lines based on older technology will be permitted to rise modestly to reflect higher costs in this declining market. Reductions in Ethernet charges will provide customers with a cheaper alternative and an incentive to migrate to newer, more efficient technologies.

Ofcom