Break-up of BT Group is demanded by rivals after probe
Vodafone and other rivals of BT Group have renewed their call for radical reform of the UK telecom market, including a competition investigation and a split of wholesale business Openreach from BT Group proper.
In an open letter in the Financial Times, chiefs of Vodafone UK, Sky and TalkTalk claim that British regulator Ofcom has found serious problems in the ownership of the national network by BT Openreach. For its part, BT Group says that it continues to invest billions in Openreach and that the business is exceeding service targets set by Ofcom.
Meanwhile, Vodafone's tie-up talks with Liberty Global are snagging over complicated tax arrangements at Liberty and its Virgin Media cable net, The Telegraph reported. The companies have discussed swapping assets, but Liberty reportedly depends on Virgin Media's billions in losses to lower its tax burden.
