Oftel called to bow out gracefully

Oftel, the UK's telecommunications regulator, has had its day, according to a panel of experts on this week's Behind the Headlines programme.

Last week was one of the worst ever for Oftel and its director general David Edmonds. He stood up under one of the most thorough roastings given by a Parliamentary committee to a public servant in recent years. Richard Sykes, chairman of Morgan Chambers, John Moroney, principal consultant at Ovum, and Ian Lynch of the Butler Group all agreed that Oftel was much needed when it was set up sixteen years ago. However, any defence the regulator had now amounted to little more than statement that it hadn't got it all wrong. "In 1984 there was a lot of fat in the industry," said Moroney. He suggested that BT and Oftel had understood that there was a game to be played in which BT first rejected and then reluctantly gave in to Oftel demands. While Sykes wondered if Oftel hadn't been given too much to do and should simply have concentrated on the consumer end of the industry, Lynch had no doubts. "We don't need Oftel any more. Sixteen years ago we did. But now BT is starting to break itself up - compelled by competitive forces, not Oftel. Also discussed this week was the government cancellation of the World Internet Forum because of a lack of delegates. There was not doubt in the panel's mind that politicians needed to be informed about IT - but not so they interfere with what they can't understand or affect. To watch the full Behind the Headlines programme, visit http://www.silicon.com/a40926