A major change to the broadband industry affecting all network operators and service providers is underway and INCA Members need to take action to adapt and benefit. INCA has been working with Ofcom, OTA and other industry organisations on behalf of the independent sector. Now is your chance to get involved and get your views represented.
The Office of the Telecommunications Adjudicator – OTA2 – worked extensively with the industry to come up with 2 Options for GPL. Ofcom decided on OTS: One Touch Switching. This should have been in operation cross-industry by April 2023. Ofcom launched an Enforcement programme on 3 Apr and there's a link to that below.
INCA's Switching and Wholesale Special Interest Group (SWSIG) analysed how OTS could be the catalyst for Wholesale Platforms as all such platforms will need to be aligned with the OTS Hub for easy interoperability and timing implementation. The work to ensure that independent networks can be consumed by scale retailers is vital - if they can't use services available from INCA Members, other networks will be used.
TOTSCo have now issued their OTS Industry Process Design v4.2 (14 Apr 23), RFP Technical design and Developers' Guide on this page. The preceding work and documentation under the aegis of OTA is on this page.
This page is an index to our work on behalf of INCA Members. We trust it will be a useful resource in this area. Please ensure the person responsible for leading this process in your organization is registered here. There is a great deal going on with some very short timescales. Don't get left behind.
SWSIG
- INCA OTS Webinar on practical steps with INCA, TOTSCo and OTS Hub Supplier presentations. Thu 27 Apr 23.
- register the person responsible for GPL & OTS in your organisation: the "GPL & OTS Lead"
- Operator Plan for GPL & OTS Implementation
- Full SWSIG schedule for 2023 starting with Tue 10 Jan at 2pm
- OTS Hub and Wholesale Platform requirements updated to reflect Ofcom OTS statement
- Scale Retailer Product set and Openreach portfolio
- Switching and Wholesale Survey June 20 - results on GPL and Common Wholesale Platform
- Supplier Responses to Topline Requirements v1
- SWSIG Progress Update 9 Apr 20
- SWSIG Subgroups Update 8 Apr 20
- Report on INCA's Switching & Wholesale SIG (SWSIG) Tues 14 Jan 20
- New Cross-platform Switching Process will affect all Network Operators – backgrounder – Nov 19
- New Cross-platform, Gaining Provider-led Switching to be implemented in 2020 - initial – Nov 19
- Registration form for Switching & Wholesale Special Interest Group
- SWSIG Meetings and Workshops
TOTSCo
- TOTSCo high-level milestones plan and detailed checklist to get ready for OTS on this page.
- TOTSCo onboarding opened 10 July for RCPs (both IAS and NBICS). See TOTSCo Hub User Guide.
- TOTSCo issue a range of important Bulletins - download from this page.
- No 20 - TOTSCo OTS Charging Structure proposal and request for feedback (by 11 Aug)
- No 19 - Release of TOTSCo Hub Spec v1.0
- No 18 - Responses and Conclusions from feedback to Data Reporting Bulletin #5
- No 17 - Industry Test Group Application for Membership
- No 16 - Request for Feedback - TOTSCo Message Delivery Policies
- No 15 - Managed Access Solution Developments
- No 14 - TOTSCo Hub API Specification V0.5
- No 13 - superseded by No 14
- No 12 - End-to-End Encryption Conclusion
- No 11 - TOTSCo Hub Technical Industry Group Terms of Reference
- No 10 - Managed Access to the TOTSCo Hub
- No 9 - Encryption Approaches (E2EE) (incs possible E2EE implementation) - Request for Feedback
- No 8 - OTS Message Spec V1.0
- No 7 - OTS Industry Process V4.2
- No 6 - Indicative charging levels for Hub use
- No 5 - Data Reporting
- TOTSCo's forum for Industry and Developers to discuss Process & Development. Join in here One Touch Switch - TOTSCo Community
- draft INCA response to TOTSCo Bulletin 9 Encryption (E2EE)
- Truespeed and YouFibre Paper about E2EE and Message Signing rev 5
- TOTSCo End-to-end Encryption discussion document 13 Mar 23
- Links to info and registration for TOTSCo
- OTS Industry Process Design v4.1, Developers' Guide & Technical Guide
- Switching Information (SI) survey for TOTSCo (will stay open for new submissions after 14 Oct)
Ofcom and OTA
- Gaining Provider-Led Business Steering Group: Bulletin, Process Design & Review invitation 6 Apr 23
- Ofcom letter re pause of OTS IPSG 5 Apr 23
- Ofcom Industry-wide Enforcement Programme on OTS "failed implementation by 3 April 2023"
- INCA interpretation of Ofcom 6th Feb letter
- Ofcom letter to industry on OTS implementation and 3rd April 2023 GCs 6 Feb 23
- Ofcom OTS IPSG minutes 12 Jan 23
- Industry letter to Ofcom on OTS requirements 10 Jan 23
- Ofcom OTS IPSG minutes 29 Nov 22
- Ofcom OTS Implementation Progress Steering Group (IPSG) Terms of Reference Nov 22
- OTS Process Design v4.0 (note: please use later version from TOTSCo as above)
- OTA / Ofcom Supplier of Last Resort" (SOLR) process.
- 2022 OTS Design & Governance - OTA workstreams and meeting schedule
- Ofcom GPL statement "Quick, easy and reliable switching" prefers OTS approach (One Touch Switch) 3 Feb 21
- Ofcom statement on EECC implementation & consultation 27 Oct 20
- OTA2 X & Y Hub Dependencies and Reliability Assessment 6 Oct 20
- Option Y Group response 4 Aug 20 to 17 Jul Ofcom asks.
- Ofcom asks for Option X & Y to respond by 17 July 20
- Ofcom asks for Option X & Y to respond by 8 June 20
- Ofcom Options X & Y impact on Wholesale
- GPL Switching – Update Feb 20
- GPL Switching - OTA2 ECWG Workstream, Ofcom consultation
All-IP Migration - Openreach
SWSIG Meetings and Workshops
- 2022 SWSIG schedule and documents (requires you to be logged in)
- 2021 SWSIG schedule and documents (requires you to be logged in)
- 2019 / 20 SWSIG schedule and documents (requires you to be logged in)
If you do not have a full-time Public Affairs, Policy and Regulatory function in your organisation, you will find the new INCA Policy and Regulatory Service, designed for the interests and needs of our independent sector, well worth while to protect and promote your interests at this level.
If you are not already an INCA Member and are an organisation working in or supplying the Independent sector, why not consider the wide range of Member Benefits in addition to the Policy, Events, Quality Mark workstreams. More details here.
