United Kingdom - Key Statistics, Telecom Market & Regulatory Overviews

Synopsis

The UK’s telecom market, one of the largest in Europe, is characterised by fierce competition in the mobile and broadband sectors, and by an innovative broadcast sector which has pioneered business models for distributing digital content. As a consequence, mobile and broadband penetration is comfortably ahead of the European average, while digital TV uptake has reached 90% of the population. Consumer prices across the board have fallen steadily, while network capabilities have been greatly expanded following recent investments by British Telecom and Virgin Media in Next Generation Networks. This report analyses the key aspects of the UK’s telecom market in 2010, presenting statistics on the fixed network services sector and an overview of the key regulatory issues including the status of interconnection, Local Loop Unbundling, and carrier preselection. The report reviews the major fixed network telcos, examines the status of fixed-line voice services following the deregulation of the retail call market sector, and assesses the success and market impact of BT Openreach.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
  
• 2. Key statistics
  
• 3. Telecommunications market
  
  • 3.1 Overview of the UK’s telecom market
    
• 4. Regulatory environment
  
  • 4.1 History
    
  • 4.2 Regulatory authority
    
    • 4.2.1 Office of Communications (Ofcom)
      
    • 4.2.2 Ofcom’s strategic review
      
  • 4.3 BT’s structural separation
    
    • 4.3.1 Openreach
      
  • 4.4 Telecom sector liberalisation in the UK
    
    • 4.4.1 Privatisation of British Telecom
      
    • 4.4.2 Interconnect
      
    • 4.4.3 Access
      
    • 4.4.4 Number Portability (NP)
      
    • 4.4.5 Carrier PreSelection (CPS)
      
    • 4.4.6 Wholesale Line Rental (WLR)
      
• 5. Major fixed network operators in the UK
  
  • 5.1 New regulations
    
  • 5.2 British Telecom
    
    • 5.2.1 Company restructure
      
  • 5.3 KCOM
    
  • 5.4 Cable & Wireless (C&W)
    
  • 5.5 Virgin Media
    
  • 5.6 COLT Telecom
    
  • 5.7 THUS
    
  • 5.8 Carphone Warehouse
    
  • 5.9 Post Office re-entry
    
  • 5.10 Orange
    
  • 5.11 BSkyB
    
• 6. Telecommunications infrastructure
  
  • 6.1 National telecom network
    
  • 6.2 Next Generation Networks
    
    • 6.2.1 Cable & Wireless
      
    • 6.2.2 COLT
      
    • 6.2.3 BT’s 21CN
      
    • 6.2.4 Cable telephony
      
    • 6.2.5 Fibernet
      
  • 6.3 International
    
    • 6.3.1 Submarine cable networks
      
    • 6.3.2 Satellite networks
      
• 7. Related reports
  

• Table 1 – Country statistics – 2009
• Table 2 – Telecom revenue and investment statistics – 2008
• Table 3 – Telephone network statistics – 2008
• Table 4 – Internet user statistics – September 2009
• Table 5 – Broadband statistics – 2009
• Table 6 – Mobile statistics – 2009
• Table 7 – National telecommunications authority
• Table 8 – Communications retail sector revenue – 2003 - 2008
• Table 9 – Household spend on telecoms services – 2004 - 2008
• Table 43 – COLT financial data – 2006 - 2009
• Table 44 – THUS subscribers – 2006 - 2008
• Table 45 – THUS financial data – 2004 - 2008
• Table 46 – THUS financial data – 2009
• Table 47 – Carphone Warehouse Group revenue, profit – 2007 - 2009
• Table 48 – TalkTalk financial data – 2007 - 2009
• Table 49 – BSkyB voice customers - 2006 - 2009
• Table 50 – Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1995; 1997; 1999 - 2010
• Table 51 – NGA coverage – 1995; 1997; 1999 - 2009

• Exhibit 1 – EU – The New Regulatory Framework (NRF)
• Exhibit 2 – Principal submarine cables from the UK – 2010