Indirect Access sunset

JohnDinton

Has anyone seen anyone seen any announcement as to when BT's obligation to allow Indirect Access is to cease? The final document for the Narrowband Review is dated 26 September 2013.
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/nmr-2013/statement/Final_Statement.pdf
Does the 12 month sunset period run from that date?

To save everyone from having to read all 538 pages to find it, the announcement of OFCOM's decision to end BT's obligation to allow Indirect Access is in paragraphs 5.308 to 5.310 on page 112.

I have only just become aware of the Narrowband Review. Does anyone else consider there has been inadequate consultation or inadequate publicity of the consultation? If you do I gather the complaint procedure is to send an email to [EMAIL="Consult@OFCOM.org.uk"]Consult@OFCOM.org.uk[/EMAIL]
If you are not satisfied with the response you can complain to the Secretary of OFCOM [EMAIL="Graham.Howell@OFCOM.org.uk"]Graham.Howell@OFCOM.org.uk[/EMAIL]

The document says 12 stakeholders responded. What about retail customers? Did MSE make a submisssion?

Indirect Access number are those like 18185, 1899 and 18866 which you can prefix to a telephone number to route it on a call by call basis to an alternative carrier. There is no reference in the document to the fact that for some international calls BT charges 20 times as much as 18185. There is also no reference to the fact that for a 60 minute daytime call to a 01 or 02 number BT charges £5-52 compared with 5p on 18185.

What the document says is that we all now use call bundles. Call bundles are only economic for those who make 140 calls a month to 01, 02, 03 0845 and 0870 numbers. For those who make most of their calls to mobile phones and international numbers they are not attractive.

My view is that the ending of BT's Indirect Access obligation is so important it ought have been the subject of a separate consultation, not buried in 538 pages of this Review. I agree there ought to be a level playing field for all service providers, but that should be achieved by requiring all providers to allow Indirect Access.

If, after reading the relevant paragraphs in the Review final document, you agree with me that the consultation has not been adequately publicised and that the Review itself has failed to consider relevant issues, you may wish to email the address above.

JohnDinton

This is how Openreach views Indirect Access.

Call revenue protection service
Indirect Access Call Barring is an optional WLR3 service that prevents your customers from onward calling via a carrier other than your preferred carrier, which protects your call revenues.