The fibre fork in the road: Securing long-term competition for the UK’s digital infrastructure
Giles Rowbotham, General Counsel & CDO
| nexfibre
Britain’s economy runs on digital connectivity. To sustain growth and innovation, policymakers must support sustainable competition, continue to promote investment by operators, and steer the fibre transition to avoid a return to incumbent dominance.
Our digital infrastructure has never been more critical to supporting our modern economy.
Digital connectivity is our growth engine and bedrock: how students learn, companies scale, services are provided, and opportunities shared. In a competitive world, we need to be digital leaders not laggards.
In just a few years, a telecoms revolution has taken place in the UK, with millions more homes and businesses now able to access full fibre broadband.
Since Ofcom’s last major review in 2021, from Scotland to South Wales, Derby to Durham, Belfast to Braintree, the UK has come a long way and nexfibre is proud to be part of that story. In two years, nexfibre has built past 2.4 million premises, making great progress on our ambition to a genuine, national-scale challenger to the incumbent BT Openreach.
Working with established internet service providers like Virgin Media O2, we are helping to create the digital infrastructure foundations the country needs to compete in today’s digital economy. And with full-fibre now available to over 80% of UK premises and gigabit connectivity to almost 89%, we are helping the government to meet its next target of extending gigabit-capable broadband to 99% of UK premises by 2032.
But we can’t be complacent, because momentum can stall.
The next phase of the UK’s fibre journey is not just about building that critical infrastructure; it’s about driving take-up and helping households and businesses benefit from a sustainable marketplace that offers them real choice, and with that, competitive prices.
We’ve reached a fork in the road, and policymakers and regulators have a pivotal role to play in helping consumers access full-fibre broadband: build on the last decade’s competitive gains and secure a sustainable future for innovation, or a risk a return to a single-entity dominance?
To ensure we get a better broadband network with investment, choice and innovation for the long-term, here are five steps policymakers need to take:
Maintain regulation on Openreach, as the dominant operator: BT Openreach holds a dominant position in the fixed wholesale market, which means it must continue to be regulated to ensure other network providers have opportunity to compete and grow. Consistent regulation is essential to keep attracting the investment needed to continue rolling out full fibre broadband across the country.
Keep a close eye on Openreach’s pricing: Big players set the tone. Prices and the small print of their deals can quietly shut out challengers. Ofcom should scrutinise Openreach’s behaviour carefully.
Make access to ducts and poles fair and transparent: Being able to use existing Openreach underground ducts and street poles keeps costs (and dig time) down. Rules should be long-term, fair and transparent.
Progress the copper switch-off without creating disadvantage: The process for upgrading people from old copper lines to full fibre must be neutral and must not enable Openreach to recapture its dominance in copper into fibre.
Be pragmatic about consolidation in the broadband market: There are currently too many fibre operators to be sustainable in the long-term. Ofcom, the CMA and other decision makers should support sensible consolidation to create a stronger and more stable broadband market.
We believe that by addressing these five steps, the UK will get the broadband infrastructure it deserves.
Whilst technical and regulatory frameworks can sometimes be complicated, the outcomes for constituents up and down the country are simple: long-term, sustainable competition equals better broadband at fairer prices.
Full fibre infrastructure is the backbone of the UK’s digital ambitions, driving growth and innovation across every sector and region - and in turn an important enabler of this Government’s central mission to deliver a stronger, more inclusive economy.
