BT sets definite dates for unbundling process

British Telecom has agreed with Oftel that unbundled local loop access will be available in at least 600 of its exchanges by 1 July 2001.

After July, BT said it would prepare an additional 200 such facilities each month. BT set out its plans today at a meeting chaired by Oftel and attended by all operators interested in local loop unbundling. A spokesperson for Oftel said: "BT never gave us a figure before. This is the first definitive figure we've had but Oftel has told BT that it wants to see an improvement, not only on the figures but on the time-scale as well".