Oftel expressed concern that BT’s proposed BT Surf Together and BT Talk and Surf Together packages could abuse the company’s dominant market position, contrary to the Competition Act 1998.
On 2nd November, BT notified to Oftel a number of price changes and new packages for residential customers, intended to come into effect on 1st December. These included packages offering unmetered voice and internet access calls.
This investigation by Oftel under the Competition Act is limited to the pricing of the packages involving unmetered internet access. Oftel said that it welcomes lower prices for consumers but that consumers' interests are best served by effective competition and so Oftel must ensure that these proposals from BT do not undermine effective competition among rival ISPs.