Sky’s Chief Strategy Officer, Mai Fyfield, wrote in an article in the Telegraph last week raising her concerns about how network infrastructure in the UK is operated at present, and expressed her desire for an independent Openreach for the future.
Fyfield highlights BT’s ‘under-investment’ as leading to an array of faults and service problems, despite BT stating that they have invested £2.5bn into fibre technology in recent years. She countered that this investment was not enough – and nothing compared to BT’s earnings. Fyfield also complained that the 10 working day wait customers face to get a broadband line activated was ridiculous in this modern digital era.
Regarding the BT-Openreach situation, Fyfield argued: “Who would start by putting Britain’s only national telecoms network under the sole control of the company that is also the biggest broadband service provider? Yet this is the status quo.” She pushed for Ofcom to seek out help from the Competition and Markets Authority to determine whether BT’s control of Openreach, and thus the country’s national network, is fair and legal under competition law.
This latest push for BT-Openreach separation is one of many of the last few months, coming from many of the major service providers in the UK, among others. Here, Fyfield argues a separation would make the market more competitive, and thus improve innovation in the field. Others have argued the split would improve service, options and costs for customers.
Ofcom have yet to reach a decision.