OFCOM recently announced a fast-track consultation as regards K-C, the incumbent telecoms operator in Hull and parts of East Yorkshire, being able to bundle together lines, call and fixed access broadband.

If other interested parties wish to make their views know, please be aware the consultation closes this Sunday 5th September 2010.

There follows the NextGenUs response.

“NextGenUs UK CIC would genuinely welcome the introduction of bunding of retail telecommunications services in the Hull SMP area as soon as there is equivalence of wholesale access and pricing as available from BT Openreach in the rest of the UK.

If K-C wishes to offer better value to its customer immediately then it is entirely at liberty to reduce the costs of the individual calls, lines and fixed broadband components, without seeking to limit competition by tieing customers into long term bundled contracts.

NextGenUs would like to engage in a dialogue with the appropriate staff at OFCOM to expand upon this initial objection to the proposed Retail bundling in Hull and this online submission is put forward in a briefing format in view of the very limited time available until the consultation closes on September 5th.

OFCOM have recently relaxed the reigns on BT Retail in the rest of the UK in permitting BT to offer more aggressively priced service through bundling lines, calls and broadband services to residential customers. The customer has the freedom to select a bundled option (the more you buy the less you pay) and is not “forced bundling” (tying) that forces KC customers to pay for local calls from KC at an additional £3.50 per line per month whether they make a call or not and removing all competition in market for local calls.

If OFCOM were to allow KC to offer similar “bundled” packages, whilst initially being good for the consumer, would have a considerable long term negative effect on consumer choice since by reducing charges without the presence of any existing competition in an existing Monopoly where Significant Market Power (SMP) already exists would further minimise any possibility of any other Commuications Provider seeking to enter the Hull market in direct competition to KC and harm whatever limited competition already exists.

If OFCOM are considering permitting KC to bundle services,Ofcom MUST conduct a new investigation into the individual markets for telephone calls, lines and broadband markets in the Hull area. If KC still are still considered to have SMP (Significant Market Power) in any of these markets bundling cannot be permitted.

NextGenUs wishes to make its position abundantly clear that the removal on the existing conditions on KC will be fully objected to and vehemently opposed on the grounds that KC continue to possess SMP in all 3 markets and Communication Providers (CP’s) do not have access to the KC telephone line at the wholesale level.

NextGenUs would only ever agree to the removal of the existing conditions placed on KC unless the equivalent of Openreach’s WLR3 services were made available from KC in the Hull area whereby CP’s were able to compete directly with KC for the provision of fixed telephony service having obtained “Equivalence” with all providers that wish to compete in the Hull market.

If OFCOM were to orchestrate this would fully benefit consumers in terms of not just providing consumers with competitively priced services but would also provide consumers with a number of alternative choice’s with a selection of providers whereby endusers can choose their supplier based on price and service.

OFCOM should write to all CP’s to solicit their views about the Hull Market.”

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We had set ourselves a challenging mission to accomplish.

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Provide superfast broadband to one of the most remote-rural locations in England.

Spurn Point, located where land, river and sea meet (Yorkshire, Humber and North respectively), where RNLI Humber crew and their families are permanently based, is unsurprisingly an ADSL Notspot.

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Here is the speedtest.net result from the RNLI Crew Facilities using the NextGenUs NGA FiWi Connection

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Said Sean Royce, Commercial & Finance Director, Kingston Communications, on news of the service going live for RNLI Humber:

“Wow!

Those boys deserve that and KC are proud and delighted we could help.

Looks like it proves we can deliver Next Generation Access!

Hopefully more will benefit from our combined efforts.”

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Said Dave “Spanish” Steenvoorden, Cox RNLI Humber:

“It’s Brill!”

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“Together We Are The Network” is the ethos of the wider NextGenUs NGA Testbed of which the RNLI Humber deliverables of superfast broadband form an important part.

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Thanks once again to our partners and project co-sponsors, some anonymous and others named:

• Emtelle
• AFL Telecommunications, a Fujikura business
• Kell Systems
• Kingston Communications
• Steve Medcalf Ltd
• Pharos Films
• Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
• Screwfix
• AND the RNLI Humber Crew & kids!!

More news on the Testbed and other developments here at the NextGenUs blog.

This project is a Nationally Important and Statistically Valid Next Generation Access FiWi Trial for up to 1000 Residential Subscribers.

Locations covered ranging from inner city like Great Thornton Street Estate in Hull to remote-rural like RNLI Humber, and the suburbs, Market Towns and Villages in between, covering the whole Humber sub-Region (Hull, East Riding, North and North East Lincolnshire)

Performance levels are World Leading initially at up to 100 Mbps both ways (symmetric) NGA, on a gigE bearer.

More details to follow in the New Year about how residents can apply to participate.

Merry Christmas and here’s to a pioneering NGA New Year for Hull & Humber residents.