Telecommunications Adjudicator update for September 2024

At the end of September 2024, the number of unbundled lines stands at 5.52 million. There are 1.81 million WLR lines and the number of telephone numbers using CPS is 0.67 million.  *

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

Passive Infrastructure Access

Operational performance remains good.

The second quarterly engineering forum was held, looking at some of the engineering and technical challenges of running fibre networks in the same duct and pole network structure. Good discussion around a few areas, most notably small chamber congestion and the use of Simple Engineering Adjustments for making space at the pole top.

Whereabouts compliance: Compliance continues to be monitored and is generally moving in the right direction. Further updates will be given to CPs at the PCG and the working group is set to meet this month to review progress.

Incident & Planned Works Management: This work remains ongoing. OTA2 to set up a meeting before the end of the year to review with CPs how the new Openreach notification changes will work, and what they will need to do to respond.

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 in line with expectation. The workstack remains stable at around 20k. Planning performance for KCI2 dropped back by 1% and remains agonisingly close to the target of 70% by day 14.

Exchange Access Problems: There has been a significant issue for some time with CPs getting access to Keys and the IDesk system for BASOL which is the card access system used by BT Security to control access to Exchange buildings. Openreach will provide a monthly update at the ESF until this issue is back under control.

The arrangements for emergency access for CPs and for the reporting of problems with Access Systems is now documented on the Access Locate documents and CPs are advised to review them.

Areas of interest:

EAD2: Ongoing workstream developing the product proposals. The next major element to deliver is the anticipated pricing for the product which will be shared at the EPCG.

Exchange Exit: Openreach have shared 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. There have also been Industry Working Groups covering ‘Complex & CNI’ and EAD & Optical migrations.

Copper and Fibre

Industry engagement to review FTTP metrics is continuing and will now run through 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 has been developed collaboratively between Openreach and Industry. A review during September highlighted areas where the two sides are a distance apart. Both sides are reflecting on each other’s feedback and discussions will continue early November.

Discussions have ended on an SLG for FTTP cancellations without agreement. OTA2 submitted its report for Ofcom to consider and are awaiting a response.

Openreach has commenced its FTTP Uninhabitable Locations and Ruggedised ONT Pilot, which will run into late 2025. This is required to address installations such as traffic lights.

All-IP Steering Group

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 is running through to mid-October to test the systems capability, with later testing of the full reversion capability.

Following the publication of the Phase 2 response to the Exchange Exit consultation 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.

Openreach have requested CPs consider any future telecare support requirements beyond the existing Prove Telecare SVR to ensure this can be addressed in the next financial year.

The first pilot order of SOTAP for Analogue, needed to support WLR withdrawal, has been successfully installed.

Openreach is continuing to develop its plans to address WLR withdrawal through to the previous end date of December 2025 and for the period January 2026 to January 2027, which is outside of the original commitments provided to Ofcom. Any revised plans have yet to be shared with industry.

Customer Switching

OTS (One Touch Switching) went live on 12 September 2024, with CPs expected to attempt to use the OTS process for all residential switching journeys from that date. TOTSCo are reporting a significant increase in OTS messages and switch ‘trigger’ messages sent by the Gaining CP when the new service(s) is active and billing for old service(s) should ceased by the Losing CP. 

TOTSCo publish high-level data on their website , though it should be noted that this data is ‘raw’ and cannot factor in the experience offered by CPs to their customers. There are currently over 250 brands active in OTS, with an additional ~80 progressing through onboarding with TOTSCo. 

OTA2 continue to work closely with CPs, Network Operators, Wholesalers and Ofcom to assist all parties in the continued adoption of the OTS process and enhancement of its performance. Ofcom have tasked OTA2 to work with CPs as part of an investigation into ‘Matching’ performance and how this will be improved, enabling customers to switch through the OTS process.  

OTA2 are active as co-chairs of both the OTS-IPG (Industry Process Group) and the OTS Operational Forum. The OTS-IPG reviews requests or questions relating to the OTS Process and Best Practice, uplifting or creating Best Practice Guides and producing Bulletins for Industry. The OTS Operational forum consists of a cross-section of CPs and MAP, who focus on the ‘in-life’ challenges of running the OTS process at a level above individual orders, identifying trends or patterns that require wider engagement by Industry to resolve.

OTA2 have shared the final draft of the Telecare Best Practice guide for OTS with Ofcom and DSIT and have targeted publication and wider circulation once feedback from those bodies has been received. Earlier drafts were shared widely with CPs via CFPCG, PIA Commercial forum and OTS Process Group. It was also shared externally via the Telecare Advisory Board and LGA Digital Switchover Steering Group.

The GPLB-SG (Gaining Provider Led Business - Steering Group, which is OTA2 co-chaired) continue to make good progress with the next phase of their process development, focusing on Best Practice Guides and technical details of the proposed message specification. A short introduction to GPL Business Switching has been produced as a ‘Webinar’ and can be found on the public facing website here :  Gaining Provider Led Business Switching public - FCS alongside further documents that include the proposed message set and API. The GPLB-SG have extended invitations to both TOTSCo and MAPs to join their sessions and build the relationships required to deliver the process into live.

Number Porting

September’s NPPCG (Number Porting Process & Commercial Group – also OTA2 chaired), highlighted the need for CPs to maintain an updated and published (to their porting partners) CSP (Customer Service Plan), with alternative contacts for key stakeholders, should they be absent for any reason.  

Service Levels

Copper and Fibre provision

  Openreach FAD (First Available Appointment Date) performance nationally, over the 5-day period ending 08 October 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 downward trend for LLU and WLR, achieving a 4-week rolling average of 84.0% and 83.5% respectively, by week ending 27 September 2024.

*The figures quoted exclude BT downstream connections