NTS Dec05

BT's response to Ofcom's consultation document "Number Translation Services: A way forward"

Issued 6 December 2005

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Ofcom's consultation: 'NTS: A Way Forward'

Since the mid 1990s, the Number Translation Service (NTS) market has grown rapidly. The marketplace is competitive and has demonstrated both flexibility and innovation.  The market is valuable to the UK: to consumers, to service providers and to industry.

However, it has shown increasing signs of strain over the past few years, in part the trigger for Ofcom's policy review. Consumers are becoming more concerned about a lack of price clarity for calls to NTS numbers as well as about the disjoint between NTS call prices and prices for other calls.  Within the industry, there have been a large number of disputes, principally about how revenue is shared, which has led to micro-regulation of NTS.

BT does not consider that the current framework is sustainable. However, as the industry has grown up around a complex regulatory jigsaw, reform is not straightforward. Moving a piece of the jigsaw to, for example, increase revenue certainty for network operators by giving them control over BT's retail prices would be likely to lead to a damaging degree of price confusion for consumers and service providers.

BT plays a part at every stage in the NTS value chain. We serve millions of end customers, we provide transit for other operators who wish to use our network and we terminate calls on behalf of service providers (such as travel agents, high street retailers, banks and other value add service providers) and frequently pass revenue on to them for doing this.

BT supports the direction of Ofcom's proposals, though recognises that there are advantages and disadvantages to the package of measures.

Download response as PDF document

Comments should be addressed to Alex Cheetham at alex.cheetham@bt.com