> The organisation responsible for last mile connections is Openreach
About 30% of UK homes are also served by ex-Telewest/NTL/Virgin Media cable. The last mile arrangements for that are almost identical to how AIUI things work in the US: the whole line from your door to the internet is owned and operated by one company, and there is no LLU-like competition.
Re:Level3 is without peer, now what to do?
by josephlord on Wednesday May 21, 2014 @06:41AM
(#7777509)
Yes but the key difference is the word "also". Those 30% have an additional choice over the services using OpenReach final mile connections. In the US many people only have the one service that owns the cable and the service.
Re:Level3 is without peer, now what to do?
by Alphasite_ on Tuesday May 20, 2014 @03:57PM
(#7774819)
I'd hardly say it's difficult to upgrade, they've been rolling out network upgrades for the last decade, starting with the 21cn network, then fttc and persumably ftth as an eventual goal.
They are rolling out FTTC, however slowly, and there was a lot of fighting, bureaucracy and political bargaining to do so; in addition to ruling out widespread FTTH rollout (only available to new-builds and selected rural areas).
The issue with Openreach is the odd situation it has found itself in after several government reshuffles and countless legislation; leaving it under BT Group's umbrella but accountable to the government regulator Ofcom. As such the network has waned and become difficult to upgrade.