INCA has submitted its most comprehensive response to date to Ofcom’s Telecoms Access Review (TAR), the five-year market review that will shape wholesale broadband regulation from 2026 to 2031.
The TAR replaces the 2021 Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review and will set the rules governing how alternative network operators access BT’s physical infrastructure, how wholesale prices are regulated, and how geographic markets are defined.
Our submission argues that BT has over-recovered approximately £1.2 billion through inflated PIA asset valuations, that Ofcom’s Area 3 geographic market definitions are flawed and disadvantage rural Altnets, and that wholesale pricing protections must be strengthened to safeguard infrastructure competition.
INCA calls on Ofcom to mandate Equivalence of Inputs for Physical Infrastructure Access, correct BT’s over-recovered asset valuations, redefine the Area 3 geographic classification, and prevent copper retirement threshold changes until Altnet FTTP coverage reaches 75% in affected areas.
The TAR response builds on 13 detailed supporting papers INCA submitted throughout 2024 covering PIA pricing, costing, product improvement, exchange closures, market definitions, and Openreach behavioural incentives. All documents are available on our Resources page.