Quote:I can see that the end of POTS doesn't mean a fairer UK telecommunications market. BT is in the best position to make a head start, and that is what it is doing.
I agree with what you say mikeinnc, however, look at it from BT's point of view; it's now a profit making company and does what it sees as the best for its shareholders.
The question is, how do you expect any company to be happy to give up some of its market share to competitors?
I agree entirely, Dave, but here is the rub. It is precisely because BT is frantically trying to hang on to market share that it has grabbed the NGN scam with both hands - and is obviously hanging on for dear life! I wonder how many expensive lunches or "exploratory" all-paid trips to "investigate telecommunications structures" in suitably exotic and far-off sunny climes have been handed out (and no doubt taken gleefully!) to Ofcom regulators recently? After all, we wouldn't want those nasty regulators to take away the trough, would we?
Of course, it is a dilemma because BT is a private company. However, there comes a point when ethics come into play. Yes, I know - there aren't many in business these days. The paradox is that as a private company, BT is required to increase shareholder value. On the other hand, consumers expect a level playing field - and Parliament obviously intended to ensure they got one. That - presumably - is why Ofcom was set up. The problem is, when the regulator is completely subsumed by the incumbent it is supposed to be regulating, the whole process breaks down.
I own shares in a major telco (no - not BT!) and so I know the dilemma that is faced. I am also a consumer and hate being ripped off. There should be a happy medium. That is the crux of the NGN scam. That is what the regulator is supposed to achieve. Currently, there is no happy medium. It is entirely one sided - and totally anti-consumer. I guess that's why we are all here!
All I am trying to say is that it might be worth emphasising these issues to Ofcom in any consultation document. At least if Ofcom recognise that we realise what their game is, they might just finally bite the bullet and do something about it.