Worth waiting for? Oftel seizes the initiative

Details of today's closed meeting between Oftel, BT and most of the telcos supposedly itching to get access to local phone exchanges in the UK are out - and they're encouraging.

After it emerged that take up of co-location space in available BT exchanges has been worryingly slow, Oftel convened the get-together at its offices. Point one - here we have the telecoms watchdog acting soon after realising there's a problem. Oftel wanted to find out why other operators - long critical of BT's protective stance towards the local loop lines that will allow the provision of high-speed DSL services - haven't made any moves. After all, some of the UK's best-known telcos, plus a few ambitious newbies, have long called for unbundling. The answer was 'yes' BT is unbundling the local loop, but it has been done so far in areas which aren't always attractive to other operators thinking of offering services - typically ADSL - over copper BT lines. Larger, urban exchanges will prove popular not just because they reach more people per exchange, but because co-location rack rental costs are divided more ways. The answer to emerge from the meeting is for BT to bring forward the availability of these sought after exchanges in urban areas. Precisely how much pressure Oftel had to exert we may never know. Point two - Oftel has overseen a revision to existing unbundling plans which should benefit telcos (other than BT) and users. This is the regulatory process as it should be. In the past Oftel has been criticised - often justifiably by users, the industry and even, famously, MPs - for its inaction. Perhaps today's moves are only impressive in the context of the organisation's historical inertia. Whatever. The important thing is that the market and those that control it is changing. It may be taking time, but it is to be welcomed.