What was the Ofcom Telecoms Strategic Review (TSR) which led to Openreachs creation and why is it important?
The creation of Openreach was actually BT’s suggestion to deal with the issues raised by the TSR, which was a fundamental review of the rules and regulations that cover the UK’s telecommunications industry, the most comprehensive review of the industry since the privatisation of BT in 1984. Regulation reflects the obligations of BT, which still holds an exceptional position because of its size and its ownership of the majority of the fixed-line network that connects homes and businesses throughout the UK. So, a major subject of the TSR was the way that BT allows access to and charges other operators to deliver their own services to their customers by making use of BT’s local access and backhaul networks. Access to these BT networks at reasonable charges is considered very important if the vast array of different telephone and internet service companies are to succeed in offering innovative products and services to customers in a competitive environment.
