Telecommunications in Wales Where we are and what we need

1. Telecommunications in WalesWhere we are and what we need Mike Tedd Chairman Welsh Advisory Committee on Telecommunications (WACT)

2. WACT • WACT is one of six Advisory Committees set up in 1984, when OFTEL was created and BT was privatised • Our main role is to advise OFTEL on the needs and problems of Wales. We also try to influence the operators, and work with the National Assembly • We take a particular interest in the needs of rural Wales • Towards the end of this year, OFCOM will take over from OFTEL, and WACT will end

3. Remember 1984? • BT was a monopoly • The network was very poor • Many calls failed or were unusable • Long waits for new lines • Most complaints reaching WACT and OFTEL were about the quality of service and billing disputes

4. Now • Telephones work • Prices in real terms have more than halved • Some serious competition: • NTL competes with BT in South Wales • Indirect retail operators, like OneTel • Four mobile networks • All areas benefit from the pressure on BT due to competition in richer areas • Most complaints are about the quality of customer service

5. The Good News • All exchanges in Wales are now digital, with fibre links between them • Mobile telephony is widely available (but patchy) • Most lines support dial-up Internet access, for which there are fixed subscription services • Advanced services (such as BT’s Metro VPN) are available throughout Wales • Fast leased lines are available everywhere and have become much cheaper • Broadband is available to over 40% of the users in Wales

6. The Realities of Rural Wales • BT has a near-monopoly of fixed telecommunications infrastructure • The terrain doesn’t help • Sparse populations and relative poverty make rural Wales unattractive for new entrants • At the wholesale level, BT will remain dominant. We need to work with them and find ways to encourage them to invest in the network • There can be fierce competition in retail services

7. Broadband • Broadband is becoming more and more important for economic and social development • Soon, 53 of the 444 BT exchanges in Wales will support ADSL • These cover about 40% of users in Wales (The UK average was 63% late last year) • Without intervention, perhaps another 30% would eventually have access to ADSL • Wireless and satellite have significant roles, but … • The Broadband Wales programme is very welcome!

8. Mobile Coverage • Mobile telephones are now vital to most companies – especially small ones • Recent surveys (of 5 large towns and a few main roads) show over 6% of calls failing in Wales. The UK average is 2.6% • Coverage in rural areas is very patchy • France is reported to be deploying structural funds to complete its 2G mobile network • We know of no 3G rollout planned for Wales, outside South Wales

9. Moving to OFCOM • Bringing together the regulation of broadcasting, telecommunications and spectrum planning is long overdue • There could be real benefits to Wales in addressing together problems like the availability of broadband and digital TV & radio • The bill prescribes much less representation for Wales than we have now and barely mentions the National Assembly • It is important that OFCOM establishes effective channels and bodies to fill these gaps

10. In Summary • The telecommunications scene in Wales is better than many people expect • Current challenges include rollout of broadband and improving mobile coverage • OFCOM is welcomed – but we must articulate the needs of Wales in tele-communications as well as broadcasting