BT 21CN re-focus and Ofcom

The Ofcom consultation on the future of NGN and investment is out for comment. Although it has drawn little reaction it is significant in that in stark terms it highlights the re-focus of BT's 21C on providing faster broadband rather than a Next Generation Network focused on emulating legacy services. The nature of the issues posed and those avoided in the summary demonstrates some dilemmas for Ofcom. Thankfully, it is much less confusing for the customer.

Ofcom raises some seemingly complex issues on interconnect, and it emphasis industries pre-occupation with getting a bigger cut of the legacy voice revenues, particularly the origination fees. It also references the control layer, IMS based as todays way, the telecom way (single service with dedicated network resource) as if this means of offering services is fixed for ever. Why are Ofcom so keen to continue the complexity and control of the past?

Despite Ofcoms concerns for the customer, the failure of the 21C plan as originally conceived should be seen as an opportunity to get some true end customer focus into the future of Digital Britain. The focus on basic access speed and the apparent dropping of an IMS based control layer should be celebrated by customers, as it suggests a much simpler approach to establishing and maintaining connectivity is being adopted.

Building a transport layer capable of delivering bits end to end with predictable properties is all customers and service providers need from an NGN. Clear separation of the data transport layer and its operation from the services run over this layer is the first step in discussing future regulation. Incorporating Mobile networks into this common data transport layer is a must.

The original BT 21C plan was approved around operational cost savings, a shared IP Core and call servers to emulate the PSTN features to replace aging System Xs. Nothing new for the customer, no re-invention just replication. Telecom Engineers will be complaining of IP and the inadequacy of soft switches, while strategic vendors will complain at BT's attempts at transferring all operational risk to them. The new plan on access speed must of itself bring greater focus on achieving a high capacity, high performance open and neutral data transport layer, whose properties are fully exposed.

This consultation offers a good opportunity to have a say, in how we transition from legacy stovepiped services, to a world where connectivity (not Broadband per say) is king, and converged services will be the norm.

The original BT 21C plan could be construed as a BT plan to use NGN networking to preserve its position and its legacy services in the face of the Internet. It's failure and it's re-focus on delivering higher speeds and the potential for better connectivity should be welcomed. The transition for Ofcom could be harder as it demands much of its dogma needs to be re-written for a much less complex world.