C&W Reacts to BT

LONDON -- Commenting on the Ofcom Board’s decision to accept BT’s written undertakings in lieu of an Enterprise Act referral, Cable & Wireless chief executive Francesco Caio said:

“The undertakings that Ofcom has won and the new division BT has had to create demonstrate the effect its monopoly control of access has had in undermining competition to date. Together, they present an opportunity to drive real change but there is still a difficult journey ahead.

“BT’s service to its competitors remains inadequate. As the Telecom Adjudicator reports, “right first time delivery” has gone backwards for two consecutive months. That means that one in four customers do not get a service that works on the agreed date.

“Openreach must improve dramatically on BT’s performance in consistent and reliable, right first time, delivery of local loop unbundling. It is that, not the name on the vans, that customers and Ofcom will watch to see if these pledges will deliver the innovation and choice that have eluded UK consumers for too long.

“Today’s undertakings and the new division must deliver, monitor and sustain a real change in behaviour to achieve consistently improving performance. We will continue to work hard to support the new processes and we’ll be watching closely to ensure that today’s promises turn into concrete actions.”

Cable & Wireless plc