ISPs without their own cable network rely on BT’s wholesale services as they wait for the now-overdue local loop unbundling. Many have withdrawn from the unbundling offer, seeing it as being not financially viable.
According to ZDNet, ISPs took issue with BT’s allocation system for wholesale broadband services which required ISPs to specify each month the number of customers they wanted to connect. Instead, from next month, ISPs can request as many connections as they want. Some commentators are sceptical about BT's ability to meet the anticipated demand.
The telecoms watchdog Oftel is also reported to be investigating BT’s refusal to offer service level agreements with its broadband services.