Telecommunications Adjudicator update for July 2024

An update on the principle areas of project activity being led by OTA2 in July 2024.

See the latest charts

At the end of July 2024, the number of unbundled lines stands at 5.79 million. There are 1.92 million WLR lines and the number of telephone numbers using CPS is 0.72 million.  *

The following is an update on the principal areas of project activity being led by OTA2.

Passive Infrastructure Access

Operational performance remains good.

Whereabouts compliance: Compliance is moving in the right direction. There are some challenges where historical build has not been undertaken with whereabouts notices being served, these are being worked out of the system, to provide a clean slate going forwards. CPs are being managed through their Openreach service managers and any stragglers are being approached.

Incident & Planned Works Management: Openreach have shared more detail of how the IM framework is being implemented and planning for a broader CP update at the August PCG.

Areas of interest:

• Health & Safety and good working practices
• NA Evidence and quality documentation for CPs to able to instruct their field resources.
• Connecting Customers
• Whereabouts compliance

Ethernet

Performance is good.

The order profile remains constant with demand, cancelations, suspensions, and completions remaining static. The workstack remains stable at around 20k. Planning performance for KCI2 is close to the target of 70% by day 14.

Outlier orders: Work is continuing to review the challenges of orders which have significant delays, attributable to both Openreach and CPs. The initial findings indicate that we have some challenges in getting delay cases raised using the correct queue and that update enquiries are being raised with the wrong flag. The findings will be reported through the ESF.

Areas of interest:

EAD2: Ongoing workstream developing the product proposals. The next major element to deliver is the anticipated pricing for the product.

Exchange Exit: Openreach are building inventories for the affected 105 exchanges and planning for deep dive reviews on Baynard and Staines exchanges as a collaborative exercise to aid CP Planning.

Copper and Fibre

Industry engagement to review FTTP metrics is continuing and will now run through to early Autumn. The aim is to define a set of Key Performance Indicators which are appropriately supported, relevant and recognised by Openreach and Industry and which will effectively track the end customer experience. A draft set of measures, developed collaboratively between Openreach and Industry has been reviewed by industry who have fed back to Openreach.  The next industry working group is scheduled for September.

Discussions have ended on an SLG for FTTP cancellations without agreement. The matter is now with OTA2 to report back to Ofcom, with any appropriate recommendations.

CPs had expressed concerns, both via the OTA2 Executive and CFPCG regarding the overall quality of Ready for Service data and accountability for subsequent provisioning delays. OTA2 is reviewing the RFS process with Openreach but in addition Industry have clarified their concerns on the issues that needs to be addressed, which will be picked up via the CFPCG.

All-IP Steering Group

Following the announcement by BT Group to reset of the date of the PSTN switch off to 31 January 2027, Openreach has aligned the withdrawal of its ‘Wholesale Line Rental’ (WLR) product to this date. This change from December 2025 provides an additional 13 months for Communications Providers (CPs) to safely migrate their vulnerable customers off the PSTN. Openreach are planning to establish a number of industry working groups to assist delivery to this area, although dates are yet to be announced

The Prove Telecare development which was rescoped to allow for a full reversion of the line, remains on track for release and trial late autumn. An initial low volume trial of the capability has now been announced by Openreach to commence end-July to run through to mid-October.

Openreach has now published its Phase 2 response to the Exchange Exit consultation and briefed industry on its approach to progressing discussions. Subsequently Openreach has taken onboard CP feedback regarding the scale of collaboration activity envisaged and has scaled back the number of industry working groups but also adopted the approach of working through the detail of a couple of exchanges to flush out the issues, challenges and learnings for industry and Openreach.

Customer Switching

OTS (One Touch Switching) is moving closer to launch, phased ‘ramp-up’ has begun for a number of CPs, who are successfully switching real residential customers using the OTS process. This is a key progression to achieving the ‘go-live’ date of 12 September 2024. OTA2 continue to work with CPs, TOTSCo and other stakeholders, through various forums and meetings, to assist with preparation for ‘go-live’, Network and Wholesaler readiness, switching where Telecare devices exist and more.

More details about TOTSCo, OTS documentation and how to register if you are not already signed up can be found here: TOTSCo

OTA2 continue to chair OTS Porting sessions, with good progress on finalising the details required to begin implementation of design, delivery, testing and roll-out of this process.

OTA2 maintain their co-chair role for the GPLB-SG (Gaining Provider Led Business – Steering Group) with its focus on providing business customers and their Retail CPs with a robust switching solution, which will work alongside the OTS process.. The Business Switching Process has already been published and can be found here:  Gaining Provider Led Business Switching public - FCS alongside further documents that include the proposed message set and API.

Number Porting

OTA2 chair both of the Number Porting forums (NPESG – Number Porting Executive Steering Group and NPPCG – Number Porting Process & Commercial Group), which are run on alternating months, focusing on the Strategic (NPESG) or more ‘day-to-day’ (NPPCG) challenges of our industry. While dealing with specific issues related to the Number Port process these groups also respond to additional challenges such as the changes to switching processes, Telecare services, Fraud prevention/CLI authentication, Telecoms Security and more.

Service Levels

Copper and Fibre provision

Openreach FAD (First Available Appointment Date) performance nationally, over the 5-day period ending 3 July 2024 was as follows:

Notes:

1. MI and SI are Managed-Install and Self-Install orders
2. FTTC is Fibre to the cabinet
3. FTTP is Fibre to the premises
4. SOGEA is Single Order Generic Ethernet Access
5. GFAST is Fibre-base Ultrafast Broadband

Copper repair

LLU and WLR ‘on time repair’ performance has seen a slight downward trend for LLU and WLR, achieving a 4-week rolling average of 84.1% and 82.6% respectively, by week ending 31 July 2024.

*The figures quoted exclude BT downstream connections

Signed David Halliday