UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has published a draft statement setting out its assessment of competition within the wholesale broadband access (WBA) market, excluding the Hull Area. This draft statement covers Ofcom’s analysis of competition within these markets, and focuses on determining whether any telecoms provider has ‘a position strong enough to influence market outcomes’. It also sets out the regulatory instruments that the watchdog is introducing to protect competition in those areas where it has determined that wholesale competition is not effective.
Separately, Ofcom has also published a draft statement after undertaking a review of the regulation of the wholesale local access (WLA) market and the WBA market in the Hull Area. In this, it said it had concluded that KCOM continues to have significant market power (SMP) in both markets, and as such it will impose a package of remedies to address this SMP and promote competition in retail and wholesale fixed telecoms services in the Hull Area.
Both of the regulator’s draft statements have been submitted to the European Commission (EC) for comment, and Ofcom has said it expects to publish final statements next month.