Broadband News

Openreach reaches 1.5 million

10-02-07 - BT’s local loop unbundling (LLU) service BT Openreach reached 1.5 million unbundled loops this week, allowing more competitor service providers to offer cheaper broadband packages. Click here to Compare Broadband for your Postcode

LLU lines increased by 640 per cent since the creation of Openreach in January last year, opening up the UK broadband market to smaller internet providers who can then install their own equipment and no longer have to pay BT for using their exchanges. Ultimately this allows BT’s competitors to reduce costs for their customers too, by passing on these savings.

And with plans to spend another £1 billion this year, the LLU market looks set to explode.

Welcoming the news, Chris Eagle, BroadbandChoices Commercial Manager, said: “More LLU lines means more competition, and that is good news for consumers. The UK broadband market’s price war has seen both reductions in subscription fees and increased quality as customers demand more.

“However, it’s really only the big players that are able to invest in LLU, so smaller companies are still excluded and find it difficult to make profits while having to pay BT for the use of their exchanges.”