Openreach CEO Joe Garner has said he is open-minded on the question of whether end customers should be able to contact Openreach directly, and in a message to CPs he asked for their feedback on the proposal.
He broached the idea at BT's Delivering Britain's Digital Future conference in London, saying that an issue arises because customers often cannot deal direct with Openreach, but can only deal with their retail broadband provider.
"I am open to having Openreach deal directly with end customers, subject to consulting Ofcom and telecom providers," he said.
At the conference Garner also underlined his commitment to the Openreach Charter, launched at the event.
The document outlines Openreach's pledge to go beyond the UK's 95% target for fibre broadband; deliver on its proposal to give 10 million homes and businesses access to ultrafast broadband by the end of 2020; raise service standards, offer quicker installations and faster fixes; guarantee 'fair and equal treatment' for all comms providers; and invest £3bn to create a nationwide fibre network that provides affordable high-speed broadband to the vast majority of the UK.
In a message to CPs Garner said: "Openreach is determined to help you provide the communication services that the country needs to sustain a vibrant digital economy.
"The most important part of this mission is improving our service. While I am the first to acknowledge there is much more to do, there are areas where I believe that we are making progress.
"We have cut the waiting time for installation appointments and we're fixing faults faster. But as the pace of technology change accelerates, and customer expectations move ever higher, we know we have to move with them."
Got a view? Email sgilroy@bpl-business.com
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