Ofcom said it will expand its future monitoring of BT Group PLC (LSE:BT.A)’s Openreach subsidiary to include areas relating to its full-fibre regulatory framework.
The regulator has been providing annual monitoring reports on Openreach’s progress towards becoming more independent since BT agreed to make Openreach a legally separate company in 2018.
In a statement, Ofcom said Openreach continues to operate in a way that is strategically independent from BT.
Earlier this year, Ofcom set out new regulations for the wholesale telecoms markets as part of plans to bring faster, more reliable broadband to people across the UK.
The regulator said Openreach has an important role to play in ensuring that competition operates effectively, for example by allowing other builders access to its underground ducts and telegraph poles.
It will therefore expand its future monitoring of Openreach and encouraged companies to alert it to any competition concerns that risk undermining the development of competing full-fibre networks.
It said it had already been alerted to some issues and told Openreach to engage with its customers on these areas of concern.