STATEMENT: Response to Ofcom's dark fibre remedy withdrawal

Mark Collins, Director Strategy & Policy at CityFibre, commented:

"Ofcom’s decision to withdraw its recently proposed restricted Dark Fibre Access remedy recognises that the supply of alternative dark fibre solutions is increasing at pace in many UK towns and cities. The decision to stimulate infrastructure competition rather than impose deeper regulation of BT Openreach’s products is consistent with Ofcom’s strategy to reduce the UK’s dependency on Openreach and is warmly welcomed by CityFibre.

Today, CityFibre provides open access dark fibre infrastructure in 42 towns and cities, providing future proof, unrestricted connectivity solutions for public sector and enterprise customers, as well as full-fibre connectivity to address thousands of mobile towers and future 5G small cells. CityFibre’s expansion plans – which target up to 100 towns and cities by 2025 and include projects already underway to deliver full fibre to homes across whole cities – are best supported through Ofcom’s introduction of duct and pole access (DPA).

We welcome the opportunity to engage with Ofcom in its upcoming Business Connectivity Market Review (BCMR) to help shape regulation that drives competitive investment in, and consumption of, full fibre connectivity nationwide. We will urge Ofcom to remove the remaining restrictions on DPA to help accelerate the rollout of alternative fibre solutions."