"At the hear of the issue is a recently launched promotion for so-called proactive migrations - upgrades initiated by ISPs to move customers to better connections, typically from copper wire to fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP). The nationwide offer covers the rental price of FTTP service post-upgrade, making the 1,000/115 Mbps, 550/75 Mbps, and 330/50 Mbps bandwidth tiers available at no more than the rental price of the current 80/20 Mbps product for 24 months from activation. This represents a considerable discount for ISPs."
"Complaints from smaller network providers were two-pronged: firstly, they argued the pricing falls below the cost of "a reasonably efficient operator," effectively making it a loss leader. Second, they claimed the limited timframe would drive an "accelerated mass migration" by ISPs from copper to FTTP, shutting out Openreach's smaller rivals in areas where they may not yet have been able to build up their network footprint."
Ofcom declined to intervene over a limited-time Openreach promotion that offers FTTP tiers at no more than the rental price of the existing 80/20 Mbps product for 24 months after activation. The offer applies only to successful FTTP installations activated between October 10, 2025 and April 9, 2026. Smaller network providers argued the pricing undercuts the cost of a reasonably efficient operator and that the short claim window would accelerate mass migrations to FTTP, disadvantaging alternative network operators that have not expanded. Ofcom reported no prima facie concern but said it will monitor FTTP prices and ISP behaviour, while critics warned the offer may end before any regulatory action could take effect.
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