The Communications Management Association is using this
week’s Enterprise Networks show in London to call on telecoms
watchdog Ofcom to deliver for UK business.
The CMA, which represents corporate telecoms users, is to use
its Broadband Britain sessions to promote its submission to Ofcom’s
strategic review into the telecoms market.
The CMA’s submission focuses on broadband availability and
pricing, wireless connectivity, the allocation of spectrum for new
technology and the advent of converged IP voice and data over fixed
lines.
"BT’s dominant position over the last 20 years has been
inadequately regulated and has led to high barriers to entry [for
rival suppliers], failed businesses and thwarted ambition," said
the CMA.
"At a time of rapid change in the industry, the status quo can
no longer be tolerated and regulation must seek to reduce to a
practical minimum the opportunities for abuse by all players."
The CMA said there was a direct correlation between Ofcom’s
threats of a tighter regulatory regime on BT and BT’s announcement
of price cuts.
A CMA spokesman said, "We are not against BT having significant
market power, we are mainly concerned about what it does with that
power."
On broadband, the CMA said better services for businesses would
evolve once 2mbps and above become the basic speed for
connectivity.
The association criticised the wireless connectivity
technologies currently on offer to UK companies and said Ofcom
should be cautious in the way it chooses to regulate the growing
VoIP market.
BT denied it has taken advantage of its dominant position in
some markets and said the existing regulatory process was already
working. It cited last week’s big price cuts for consumer broadband
as a positive example of it reacting to market pressure.