Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps Ofcom is taking to encourage new entrants in the market for mobile and fixed wireless services in the London area.

Ensuring high quality of service and choice are priority areas for Ofcom. While Ofcom cannot compel providers to invest in particular areas, it has taken a number of steps to ensure that the regulatory regime supports competition and commercial rollout.

In 2010, Ofcom introduced requirements to allow competing providers to use infrastructure from Openreach, the wholesale provider which manages BT’s telecoms network, to deliver superfast services. Ofcom has been reviewing competition in the wholesale broadband market over the past year. In addition, it is also undertaking a review of business connectivity, which is looking at how well competition is working in the provision of dedicated connections known as leased lines.

In addition, in auctioning the spectrum suitable for 4G mobile broadband services, Ofcom put in place requirements to ensure spectrum was reserved for a fourth competitor. Alternative providers are now offering superfast services using 4G mobile broadband and a combination of wireless technologies in London.

Finally, Ofcom has granted an extension to a wireless spectrum licence held by UK Broadband Ltd. The company intends to deploy a national wireless broadband network focusing on major urban areas and reaching an estimated 45% of the UK’s population. It has already rolled out fixed wireless services to parts of London.