BT Consults Industry On The 21CN UK Migration Plan

Industry consultation on the national 5-year rollout schedule for 21st century network (21CN) is nearing completion with a ‘plan of record’ expected to be published at the end of January. 

Conducted through the communication forum Consult21, the migration consultation started in September 2005. The pre-consultation period established that communications providers (CPs) were happy with the proposed format and content of the documentation. The second stage – an eight week consultation – finished in mid- December 2005. It focussed on the timing and sequencing of the migration of voice services from the PSTN to 21CN. On a quarterly basis the UK rollout plan indicates when each local exchange – of which there are more than 5,500 across the UK – is due to migrate and the withdrawal of digital local exchanges and associated equipment.

More than 600 people from across industry were involved in this exercise with the main focus placed on CPs most impacted by 21CN – those with a physical interconnect between their own network and BT’s and local loop unbundlers. During the consultation period a series of working group sessions and bi-lateral meetings were conducted with 90 per cent of interconnect CPs participating in bi-laterals. 

On the surface the national migration plan seems a relatively easy thing to agree. However to ensure 21CN migration is as smooth and efficient as possible, industry players need to ensure they understand the underlying implications. Parallel discussions looked at the detail of how the physical migration will be done so that management and business processes across industry could be aligned. Over any five year period change is inevitable and understanding how to flex the plan needed to be worked through – after all a change to suit the needs of one CP will impact on all others.

When published the national migration plan for 21CN is not going to be significantly different to that presented to industry in October. However the consultation process itself has ensured there is a much better understanding of the issues and practical steps, industry players need to take to ensure a smooth transition for all customers, across the UK. 

Ofcom was pleased with how BT conducted the consultation commenting that the process was open, transparent and meaningful with CPs having ample time to respond.