BT has reached an agreement with Ofcom to legally separate its infrastructure arm Openreach.
The telecoms giant has faced growing calls from rivals to hive off Openreach, and in November the communications regulator ordered a legal separation of the firm.
On Friday, the pair said they have reached agreement on a “long-term regulatory settlement that will see Openreach become a distinct, legally separate company with its own board, within the BT Group”.
Around 32,000 employees will transfer to the newly formed Openreach Limited following TUPE consultation and after pension arrangements are in place.
Openreach Limited will have its own branding that will not feature the BT logo.
Ofcom said, since BT has agreed to all of the changes needed to address its competition concerns, it will no longer need to impose these changes through regulation.
Openreach builds and maintains the tens of millions of copper and fibre lines that run from telephone exchanges to homes and businesses across the UK.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here