BT forced to cut local loop charges

NEWS UK telecoms watchdog, Oftel has ruled that BT must halve the charges it levies against third party operators wishing to take advantage of local loop unbundling (LLU). The regulator has decided that BT must reduce the amount it charges for providing line information from £5.30 to £2.60 a line and must cut the premium it charges for chaperoning third party engineers when they need to access exchanges in an emergency. David Edmonds, Director General of Telecommunications, said in a statement: "Following an investigation, Oftel has ordered BT make changes to the way it charges for a number of services it provides to operators installing equipment in BT's exchanges. "This will lead to lower charges, reducing costs for operators and giving them greater confidence to plan the rollout of their high speed services."