They have joined forces to demand equal terms access to Openreach’s physical infrastructure as Ofcom’s next review of access looms
Five of the UK’s largest fibre alnets have joined forces to push for fairer access to physical infrastructure operated by Openreach. nexfibre initiated the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) Coalition which has AllPoints Fibre, Community Fibre, Gigaclear, and newly-merged Netomnia and Brsk as members. They jointly pass more than 5 million premises ready for service, making them among the largest users of Openreach’s wholesale infrastructure.
The Coalition conducted a detailed economic analysis of Openreach’s PIA regulation (carried out by SPC Network). It showed an imbalance between Openreach and altnet operators, particularly in pricing, where they operators pay “significantly more” to access ducts and poles than Openreach charges itself.
The Coalition is calling for Ofcom to act on this information and ensure all users of PIA have a level playing field for access to infrastructure in its upcoming Telecoms Access Review (TAR).
The group warns that failure to act will harm competition and investment in the long-term, threatening the progress of fibre roll-out to homes and businesses. This, the coalitions says, would damage the UK’s ability to compete internationally.
Holes and poles
The coalition acknowledges that sharing Openreach’s poles and ducts with other operators has been one of the successes of Ofcom’s 2021 market review and a major driver of faster fibre deployment in recent years. Ofcom regulates PIA products through a series of terms and conditions, and pricing. The regulator is responsible for looking after the interests of all PIA users.
Under Ofcom’s rules, PIA access must be offered by Openreach in a way that does not discriminate against third-parties, that is, anybody that is not BT. Openreach is a semi-detached subsidiary of the former monopoly. The PIA Coalition has identified evidence to suggest that pricing is discriminatory but hasn’t provided details.
Ofcom’s upcoming Telecoms Access Review will assess the fixed telecoms market, the challenges it faces and set-out regulatory frameworks for 2026-31. The decisions made will have far-reaching consequences for the future of the UK’s digital infrastructure, economy and society. The coalition claims that without decisive action, “policymakers risk losing the momentum the market has worked so hard to build”.