Despite the Brexit uncertainty, this is an important Ofcom/BEREC (Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications) consultation for INCA Members (network operators and vendors) involved in Very High Capacity Networks (VHCNs). Promoting access to and take-up of VHCNs is one of the main goals of the EECC (European Electronic Communications Code). Ofcom are working on their input to the BEREC guidelines which will, along with the EECC itself, be transposed into the UK Communications Act.
VHCNs are considered to be either wholly fibre or offering similar performance if wireless or coax so this definition will be important to all INCA Members.
The guidelines will define what a VHCN is in terms of QoS, bandwidth, resilience, latency and other parameters. This is a unique opportunity for INCA Members to contribute to the definition of VHCN. Ofcom have asked INCA for input and we are keen this should represent your views.
The questionnaire has been drafted (PDF download) and Ofcom are inviting comments. Once finalised, this questionnaire will be used to collect the data later this year. The guidelines are planned for December 2020. It is likely we will refer to these guidelines in future releases of the INCA Gold Standard.
The questionnaire covers network operators and vendors in technologies such as FTTB, FTTH, LTE, G.fast, DOCSIS and mobile. It may give some insight into regulatory thinking on technologies you don’t use.
To give feedback, please either ask for a call or send comments to info@inca.coop so that we can make sure INCA Member views are discussed with Ofcom for inclusion in the BEREC VHCN guidelines. There will be other consultations on this as the process continues.