Local-loop unbundling: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:53, 23 July 2018

Revision as of 00:19, 31 July 2018

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===World Trade Organisation===

Some provisions of [[World Trade Organization|WTO]] telecommunications law can be read to require unbundling:

* Sect. 5(a) of the [[GATS Annex on Telecommunications]]<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/26-gats_02_e.htm |title=WTO |{{!}} legal texts - Marrakesh Agreement<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2004-06-20 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040623051211/http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/26-gats_02_e.htm#articleXXIX |archive-date= 2004-06-23 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> requires WTO Members to guarantee service suppliers "access to and use of public telecommunications transport networks ... for the supply of a service". New entrants argue that without LLU they cannot supply services such as [[ADSL]].

* Sect. 2.2(b) of the 1998 [[WTO Reference Paper|Reference Paper]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/telecom_e/tel23_e.htm |title=WTO |{{!}} Services: Telecommunications - Negotiating Group on Basic Telecommunications 24 April 1996<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=5 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310122428/https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/telecom_e/tel23_e.htm |archive-date=10 March 2016 |dead-url=no |df=dmy-all }}</ref> to which some Members have subscribed, requires "sufficiently unbundled interconnection" with major providers. However, the Paper's definition of interconnection appears to exclude LLU.

* Sect. 1 of the Reference Paper requires Members to maintain "appropriate measures ... for the purpose of preventing [major] suppliers ... from engaging in or continuing anti-competitive practices." New entrants argue that such practices include not giving competitors access to facilities essential to market entry, such as the local loop.

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{{Update|inaccurate=yes|date=September 2011}}

By 14 January 2006, 210,000 local loop connections had been unbundled from [[BT Group|BT]] operation under local loop unbundling. [[Ofcom]] had hoped that 1 million local loop connections would be unbundled by June 2006. However, as reported by [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/15/llu_openreach/ The Register], on 15 June 2006, the figure had reached only 500,000, but was growing by 20,000 a week. Ofcom announced in November 2006 that 1,000,000 connections had been unbundled.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.offta.org.uk/updates/otaupdate20061107.htm |title=News |{{!}} Office of the Telecoms Adjudicator<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2016-02-05 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105755/http://www.offta.org.uk/updates/otaupdate20061107.htm |archive-date=2016-03-04 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref> By April 2007, the figure was 2,000,000.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.offta.org.uk/charts.htm |title=Charts |{{!}} Office of the Telecoms Adjudicator<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-05-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070423050243/http://offta.org.uk/charts.htm#throughput |archive-date= 2007-04-23 |dead-url=no |df= }}</ref>

By June 2006, AOL UK had unbundled 100,000 lines through its £120 million investment<ref>OFCOM The Communications Market: Broadband. Digital Progress Report. Research Report. April 2, 2007. Obtained from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/16185/broadband_rpt.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723135130/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/16185/broadband_rpt.pdf |date=2018-07-23 }}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}, making it the largest single LLU operator in the UK market{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}.