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DPA Consultation by OTA2 and INCA

INCA was invited to participate in Ofcom’s CEOs DPA Industry Roundtable. Following the Programme Proposals discussed at the last CEO Group, Ofcom has now asked OTA2 to look at 4 of the 5 themes. These are as per this slide but in brief:

  1. Data Integrity & Information Sharing – to better support planning and network development.
  2. Network Adjustments – to allow CPs to fix problems with ducts and poles as they find them.
  3. Operational IT systems - to interface CPs and Openreach, including APIs.
  4. Simplified PIA product – better able to respond to innovation, streamlined processes.

The 3rd of these, IT interface, is being progressed through the existing BAU PIA commercial group and Openreach but we would still be most interested to learn your views.

The other (5th) theme, equivalence, remains Ofcom’s responsibility and INCA can represent your views to them.

For the first 4 themes, INCA has been asked to gather INCA Member views on medium-term aims and objectives. The short-term detail programme and development stack is already in full swing but we have the opportunity to discuss and inform the direction of travel of this consultation.

There are obvious implications to those INCA Members involved at Wholesale level and any systems that are now being developed particularly given the stated goal of interfacing with Openreach via APIs.

We therefore invite any Members with a particular interest or view in this area to let us know what you think and, if you’re not already a Member, to join the SWSIG via this link. Future information will be posted in that section on the website and it is likely a dedicated session will be held in the New Year.

Please send us your views before the end of 2020 so that we can provide input to Ofcom / OTA2 ahead of the next CEO Roundtable in January 2021. Please respond to this email or you can email malcolm.corbett@inca.coop or mike.locke@inca.coop

Gaist has provided a response on Data Integrity which is posted below. Thanks, Gaist.

You may also provide input to INCA's work in the Policy & Regulatory sphere with public bodies such as Ofcom and DCMS by joining the Policy & Regulatory Service - more details of work and benefits via this link. This area is of increasing importance given the new DCMS / BDUK Outside-in programme (INCA Webinar on 19 Jan 21 here) and Ofcom's response to the WFTMR, GPL Switching and All-IP Migration which all move into top gear in 2021.