The outgoing British telecommunications regulator Oftel and the incoming converged communications regulator Ofcom today agreed on joint draft proposals for the regulation of Britain's wholesale broadband access market.
The decision follows the publication earlier this year of a consultation document setting out the terms of a market review of wholesale broadband services.
The scope of that review included proposed definitions of broadband and an analysis of the extent of competition in the wholesale market.
In a joint statement issued this morning, both regulators said that the market has moved significantly in the last two years, with the emergence of a widening market offering both alternative technologies and alternative suppliers.
This is the seventh of ten major market reviews undertaken by Oftel. The remaining three reviews will be completed by the new communications regulator Ofcom during 2004.
Market reviews are conducted under the terms of the EU Regulatory Framework for electronic networks and services and replace the existing regulatory regime for telecommunications.