Even if I say so myself, this interview provides a useful reference summary of the issues faced by Altnets in the UK today. Thank you INCA for asking me to do that interview.
The INCA conference in late November addressed all of these and many other critical issues and I personally found it invaluable to hear the views of such a broad spectrum of the sector including Ofcom, government, Openreach, investors, suppliers as well as a wide variety of Altnets.
Since the conference and this interview, we have submitted detailed responses to three government consultations related to how regulation is conducted in the UK. In particular, the government review of economic regulation has provided a channel for presenting some of the systemic issues we have identified in the telecoms sector. Working with the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on this has been a very positive experience and we look forward to seeing the conclusions of those consultations.
Sadly, the tripartite meeting with Ofcom, DSIT and INCA did not happen, but we continue to work with them separately and are hopeful that the 2026 WFTMR process will see the introduction of some of the changes we have called for.
Ofcom's independence from government is essential, but so is its accountability to government for the consistent and transparent implementation of government policy. Divergence between government policy and regulatory practice leads to regulatory uncertainty which is a deterrent to investors.
Cooperation between Altnets and Ofcom will be crucial in 2024 to ensure the continued development of the competitive market in the UK. Want to hear more?
Watch the interview with GOS Consulting Limited Managing Director, Gita Sorensen, at our Annual Conference, where she comments on INCA's relationship with the regulator ⬇️