BT deal to separate Openreach

[#1]

A deal has been reached to separate Openreach and turn it in to an autonomous company, the rest however is yet to come, and what it holds for the customers is another matter.

[#2]

I was just listening to Tony Blair Gavin Patterson on the Radio 4 Today Programme explaining the deal in true management speak. Apparently BT have been increasing investment in OpenReach by 30% every year and they hadn't made wrong decisions about infrastructure.

[#3]

Will customers be able to contact openreach direct ? If not then will we see many real changes ie: improvements to the service.

[#4]

I doubt it very much, and even if they did I bet their first response would be to contact your ISP.

[#5]

@Mook

I'm sure you are right but how many times do we see on the forum complaints that openreach had failed to turn up for a agreed appointment to fix or install a customers broadband ?

How hard can it be for a reference number to be issued to customers when work needs to be done and for that same number to be sent to openreach so you could at least identify who was at fault when a problem arose ?

[#6]

@gleneagles - Well there it is. I don't suppose Openreach want to set up a call centre only to have public call them and give them a hard time, and point out their deficiencies when they can insulate themselves behind the facade that is the ISP. I agree with what you're saying as regards a reference number and that makes sense but I don't think Openreach do sensible.

[#7]

Maybe I'm wrong here, but isn't/wasn't that Openreach needed to be split from BT, but that the Openreach operation neede to be dragged into the real world - in other words, its attitude needs to be changed from that of a nationalised operation that is run for the benefit of its employees to one that is run to the benefit of its customers, be they ISPs, telcos or even god forbid, the public.

Edit to add: I've had BT out maybe 5 times since I got  BB many years ago, and have to say the engineers were very good - it is the admin/organisation side that needs a massive shake-up. (IMHO)

[#8]

there is one big problem with this - to invest billions into infrastructure - i.e. more fttp - they need to get the money from revenue and unless OFCOM stop screwing down the charges that won't happen now that Openreach is operating as a more or less separate entity

[#9]

I suppose the main change will be a higher paid manager and new board members for Openreach.

For everything else it will probably be same old same old.

[#10]

Will the new Openreach be a bit like PN  ?  give us time we will get there :cheesy:

[#11]

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@rongtw wrote:

give us time we will get there

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I reckon about five years hard labour should do it.