Changes to BT 1280

In Ofcom's opinion:

27 August 2008

Thank you for your email regarding the option to override CPS services.

It appears that BT is referring to Sky upgrading some of their CPS customers to WLR (wholesale line rental). There is no obligation on WLR providers to allow indirect access to other companies using an override code. In the majority of cases, WLR providers apply Indirect Access Call Barring (IACB). This prevents customers from being able to route calls via a different operator.

If Sky are upgrading their CPS customers to WLR they would need to have their customers’ agreement. They must also make clear whether there is IACB applied to the service.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Yours sincerely

:: John Ingham
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'Upgrading' is rich; he means 'switching'. However, if Mr Ingham is right, then customers affected would, after the switch, be paying line rental to Sky, not BT. And if Sky is hijacking line rental without telling the customer, and if (inexplicably) BT is not stopping this, then that is slamming. Or is Sky, perhaps, telling people that they can have line rental 'free' as part of a package, without making it clear that they will then be leaving BT?

I also emailed BT, but so far have got only a nonsense reply from someone who does not understand the issue.

Mr Ingham of Ofcom was wrong. BT Wholesale is now plugging Wholesale Calls Line Independent (WCLI). Details at http://www.btwholesale.com/pages/static/Products/Voice/Wholesale_Calls.html

This gives the offending CP (such as Sky) complete control of call routing, even though the End User is still paying line rental to BT Retail.

This appears to be a way that BT Retail can escape its obligation to allow Indirect Access. I am complaining to Ofcom about that.