Original article ISPreview UK:Read More
The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today confirmed that they will proceed to block one of the broadband price cuts that Openreach recently proposed to introduce on their full fibre (FTTP) lines for internet providers (ISP), which was intended to help them stay competitive with rival networks and attract new customers.
Just to recap. Openreach notified both ISPs and Ofcom in June 2026 of their intention to launch a bunch of new discounts on their Fibre-to-the-Premises lines (here), which were directed at new customers joining their network – seen by some as being somewhat of a test case for the regulator’s revised market regulation under their recent Telecoms Access Review 2026 (TAR) changes.
The regulator later found (here) that most of the new offers did NOT present a problem, including one that offered a £50 rebate in Virgin Media areas (VMO2’s CEO, Lutz Schüler, previously called this a “serious threat to the emergence of long-term network competition“). But they took exception to another discount that might have otherwise given broadband ISPs and new customers to Openreach’s network a £35 connection rebate and a £9.50 monthly rental rebate (for 18, 24 or 30 months depending on performance).