LONDON: BT’s Openreach unit said it would provide wholesale communications provider customers with long-term price stability to assist boost adoption of the full fibre broadband network (FFBN) it is creating across the UK. BT is spending 15 billion pounds through its network unit Openreach to develop a fibre network that will serve 25 million homes by the end of 2026, five million more than previously anticipated and five years earlier than expected.
Openreach will provide communications providers with cost certainty for up to ten years if they commit to using FFBN when it becomes available, according to a statement released by BT on Thursday.
Patrick Drahi, a Franco-Israeli telecoms entrepreneur, became BT’s new billionaire investor in June when he purchased a 12.1% share in the company.
According to a source acquainted with the matter, he believes there is no need to sell an interest in Openreach. BT has announced a proposal to hire a partner to assist in the construction of a portion of its new fiber network. BT said its new price offer for communications providers was based on extensive consultation with customers and aimed to provide them with competitive costs as well as a fair return to Openreach.
In a statement, Openreach’s managing director of customer Katie Milligan said, “We’re keen to make full fibre the default option for customers throughout the UK, therefore we’ve been working closely with communications providers to offer straightforward and reasonable pricing.”
(Sarah Young contributed reporting, and Kate Holton edited the piece.)/n
