Oftel yesterday issued its review of the wholesale broadband market and proposed that BT and Kingston should continue to provide operators with wholesale broadband access but that new obligations on the companies are needed to boost competition.

In a statement, David Edmonds, the Director General of Telecommunications, said:

"Oftel proposes to continue under the new EC Communications Directives with a number of obligations on BT and Kingston to ensure other operators can compete with them to provide broadband services."

Measures to promote competition include requiring BT and Kingston to provide access to their broadband networks on reasonable request, not to discriminate against other operators, and to provide accounting separation between their wholesale and retail broadband services.

This is the latest in a series of reviews covering communications networks, services and facilities in the UK and is part of the time-pressed process to implement a suite of EU Directives throughout Europe by 25th July 2003.

Legislation to implement the directives is currently working its way through the British Parliament as the Communications Bill.

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