Ofcom and BT have finally reached agreement on the separation of Openreach today. After 2 years of discussions, a decision has been made to legally separate the two companies. They key details are as follows:
- Openreach will operate as a separate entity with its own staff, management and strategy
- 34,000 staff will move from BT to Openreach under TUPE
- Openreach will have to consult with its customers, which include the likes of Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone on investments and "serve all of its customers equally”
- Connectivity operators will have access to the group’s underground cables and telegraph poles.
- BT will still own Openreach.
