06/01/2020    For Information

This briefing is for all Communications Providers (CPs).

This briefing is to inform all CPs about the launch of a Special Offer to support the Salisbury and Mildenhall trials.

We're pleased to announce the launch of a Special Offer to support early engagement with the Salisbury and Mildenhall trials, subject to the appropriate waivers being granted by Ofcom. This Special Offer is available only in the Salisbury and Mildenhall trial exchanges and will launch on 3 February 2020 and end on 4 May 2021.

Openreach reserves the right to withdraw or delay the Special Offer up until 3 February 2020. This is because the offer is subject to the conclusion of Ofcom's consultation titled "Measures to support Openreach's trials in Salisbury and Mildenhall" and agreement to the appropriate regulatory waivers being put in place to allow the Special Offer to launch. If the appropriate waivers are not put in place in time, Openreach reserves the right to withdraw, revise or delay the launch of the Special Offer until the appropriate time.

Assuming the appropriate waivers are in place, eligible orders placed from 3 February 2020 until 4 May 2021 in the Salisbury and Mildenhall trial exchanges will qualify for the offer. The offer is only available where a CP migrates its own customers to a target technology in the trial exchanges. The offer will consist of:

• Free connection to the closest bandwidth available on the strategic products in the trial areas i.e. FTTP, SOGEA, SOGfast or SOTAP dependant on which products are available.
• Rental charge of migrated product will not be increased for 12 months from the date of connection. Following the 12 month discounted period the rental price will revert to the prevailing price in the price list for the new product that has been migrated to. If the service is ceased, changed or moved to a different CP in the 12 month discounted period, the rental price will revert to the prevailing price in the price list.
• No charges for left in jumper recovery or ceasing of tie cables resulting from migrations to the strategic products in the trial areas.

Proactive rebates will be applied for lines that have migrated by the owning CP using the appropriate product migration order journey up to three months following the date of connection. See price list entry for full pricing details.

Openreach recognises that the operational trials in Salisbury and Mildenhall are critical to the success of the coming intensive period of technology migrations over the next 10-15 years. Openreach also recognises that industry has to work together to ensure success and reach the goals of:

• Stop Sell of WLR, MPF and ISDN in Salisbury in Dec 2020 and in Mildenhall in May 2021.
• Withdrawal of WLR, MPF and ISDN in Salisbury and Mildenhall trial areas by December 2022 (MPF withdrawal in Mildenhall only where fibre alternative is available).

In its programme to withdraw WLR products, Openreach has given more than seven years notice.

Additionally, Openreach is currently seeking agreement with industry on the 'Ultrafast Upgrade' process which sets out a timeline to Stop Sell and then Withdraw 'legacy' products in affected exchange areas in five years or longer dependant on FTTP build in the exchange area. We are conscious that the trials require a withdrawal timeline which is necessarily accelerated versus either the WLR withdrawal timeline or the Ultrafast Upgrade 'legacy' product withdrawal timeline.

For these reasons and given the unique and critical importance of these two trials in setting industry up for success over the coming years, Openreach is pleased to share this commercial offer.

Additionally, in Salisbury, as Openreach aims to reach every premise in the trial area with FTTP and it prioritises investment in this strategic technology, it intends to stop investment in capacity at some VDSL cabinets. This will predominantly be where we see low demand with long lead times and high costs to uplift. We will provide further updates in due course.

This briefing supports ACCN OR624.

If you've any questions about this briefing, please get in touch with your business development manager who'll be happy to help.