BT recently announced that it will upgrade its broadband internet services. (Photo : Reuters)
BT Group, a British multinational telecommunications company, recently appealed to the United States government to issue a mandate to its native networks to open up their network access at regulated prices, similar to the rules imposed in the United Kingdom.
BT Group America president Bas Burger told the Financial Times, "For a western world country it is the worst I've seen. There is not sufficient regulation to create competition: almost all access is being provided by two companies and they have divided the country among themselves."
Mr. Burger is referring to what he calls as unfair competition between his company and U.S.-based networks AT&T and Verizon. AT&T and Verizon controls around 80 percent of what tech giants call special access networks.
These special access networks are essentially the same broadband and telephone lines that runs into customer homes and office building. In order to use these special access networks, competitors will have to pay AT&T and Verizon, a practice to which BT deemed unfair.
In many international markets, especially the United Kingdom, BT allow competitors to use their network infrastructure at a regulated price. BT's Mr. Burger said that the same practice is not imposed in the US which in turn hamper the company's network quality and expansion option.
BT Group said that it pays unfair amount of fees in order to run its services in U.S.-based network infrastructure. These fees in turn are being charged to customers resulting to BT charging more than what is the average cost of service currently available in the market, according to Reuters.
