BT BT Group PLC

   By Ian Walker 
 

LONDON--U.K. telcoms regulator Ofcom on Thursday confirmed new rules designed to improve BT Group PLC's (BT.A.LN) performance in installing high-speed business lines, and reduce the wholesale prices it charges for these lines.

The office of communications said Openreach, BT's infrastructure arm, must also complete 80% of leased line orders by the date it promises customers by the end of March 2017, rising to 90% from April 2018.

BT will have to provide access to its optical fiber network for providers of high-speed leased lines for businesses, using a process known as 'dark fiber', Ofcom said.

The rules follow the draft proposal in March. At that time Ofcom's competition group director Jonathan Oxley said the new rules would mean companies across the U.K. benefit from faster installation times, greater certainty about installation dates, and fast repairs if things go wrong.

As part of the dark-fiber proposals, Ofcom requires BT to publish a draft proposal with wholesale pricing and terms for access by Sept. 1. Following negotiation between BT and other providers, BT will publish a final offer by Dec. 1. This results in dark-fiber access available to telecoms providers from Oct. 1 2017, it said in March.

Write to Ian Walker at ian.walker@wsj.com; @IanWalk40289749

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 28, 2016 02:53 ET (06:53 GMT)

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