Entanet has called on Ofcom to make Openreach focus more on quality of service, believing that the regulator's plans to make Openreach a distinct company within the BT Group don't go far enough.
Neil Watson, Entanet's Head of Service, said: "Ofcom's chief executive, Sharon White, said that splitting Openreach off from BT completely - as we and many others in the industry have called for because we believe it's the only way to ensure free and fair competition - would take too long.
"This sounds like a bit of a cop-out. It remains to be seen just how 'independent' Openreach becomes while it is still a division within the BT Group.
"If there are improvements to responsiveness and service levels, it will be most welcome. But that's a big 'if' in our view. We don't see how this organisational change will make Openreach perform better. It will still be part of BT, within the walls of the larger organisation.
"Until it is completely outside and independent of BT, we don't believe it can ever deliver truly fair and balanced service levels to the industry and to the UK's businesses and consumers."
Watson dismissed the claim that it would take too long and be too complicated to divest Openreach from BT due to land and pension arrangements as little more than excuses. "Ofcom is effectively saying that BT and Openreach can never be separated. We don't accept that. The commercial world faces challenges like this all the time. Of course it could be made to work. Where there is a will, there is a way."