UK extends BT Openreach regulation, widens price cap
Change
On March 17, 2026, the UK extended formal regulation of BT Openreach's national broadband network for five years and expanded a wholesale price cap to cover download speeds up to 80 Mbit/s.
Why it matters
The nominal wholesale price that Openreach can charge retail providers for download speeds up to 80 Mbit/s is capped. The cap expands the previous coverage, which applied to speeds up to 40 Mbit/s. Wholesale prices for products delivering speeds above 80 Mbit/s remain outside the cap and unregulated. Formal regulatory oversight of Openreach is maintained for a five-year period beginning March 17, 2026.
Implications
- • Retail broadband providers leasing Openreach infrastructure face capped nominal wholesale rates for services up to 80 Mbit/s.
- • Openreach remains constrained from unilaterally changing wholesale tariff structures for the regulated five-year period.
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