Unlocking BT's infrastructure could increase the local access speeds of fibre broadband networks and reduce the cost of extending them, IT contractors should be interested to learn.

Ofcom's chief executive Ed Richards said last month that opening up access to BT's ducts and poles will be the next big step in giving other telecoms providers more control over the service end users receive.

Doing this could support further investment by companies such as Virgin Media, who plan to use BT's facilities to extend the coverage of their network, he added.

Andrew Ferguson, editor of thinkbroadband.com, said the next access talk offers the possibility of direct to the home access for fibre over BT poles and ducting, and making it cheaper for providers to extend their reach.

"The Ofcom move to require Openreach to offer VULA [virtual unbundled local access] on its FTTx [fibre to the x] products should in the New Year see more providers offering it," he went on to say.