Is it going to be harder or easier to get a fault fixed

[#1]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/21/bt_local_loop/

Quote

BT is planning to consolidate maintenance contracts on its outsourced local networks, the copper in the ground, to Carillion and Telent in a £1bn cost-cutting measure. The deal, currently at the letter-of-intent stage, involves putting all the maintenance and extension of BT's local-loop business under one contract in the hope of reducing costs - buying in bulk to get a cheaper rate. The copper (or aluminium if you're really unlucky) lines in the ground used to be managed by BT, but Ofcom insisted that a separate entity was established to allow competitors to buy access. That company became BT Openreach, which maintains the copper and provides access for companies selling telephony and/or broadband, including BT, at a rate set by Ofcom. Openreach quickly identified that maintaining the lines was the boring part of the equation and outsourced it to a variety of contractors, who are now up against the wall as Carillion and Telent get a single contract covering the whole business.

[#2]

I have seen an old firm, seems to have gone to the wall, Van Badged up Marconi, working for BT, heads stuck down a hole.  Poor old Mal

[#3]

Quote from: pierre_pierre

I have seen an old firm, seems to have gone to the wall, Van Badged up Marconi, working for BT, heads stuck down a hole.

Marconi or Morrison?

[#4]

I don't think it was Marconi - I thought they went bust:-
From 2004:-

Quote

Marconi was once the jewel in the crown of British manufacturing. But disastrous investments have seen some of the worst losses in UK corporate history - over £5bn. The Money Programme investigates how a cautious company with billions in the bank set off on a rollercoaster ride to ruin.

[#5]

There are 2 parts to Openreach. There are the engineers/technicians that work in the exchanges and connect up phones in the end users premises. These are the Openreach staff that we have contact with when a fault is reported driving around in their little white vans and I would imagine that this is not going to change.
Then the other part of Openreach are the ones that go out dig holes in the road or plant telegragh poles and I would imagine this  part is being contracted out.

[#6]

Mal used to work for Marconi, he did an apprenticeship with them, It got take over by Wienstock GEC, who seemed to make a habit of that, the only bit that seens to be still working is the English Electric Valve Company, cant think of its current name but still has a factory in Chelmsford.
The Wiki article doesnt mention Marconi, will have to wait for Mal to come out of Hibernation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Electric_Valve_Company