Opal outlines NGN ambitions

Carrier Opal has invested heavily in its next generation network (NGN) and is hoping to ruffle the feathers of BT and the major mobile operators.

The firm launched Opal Office Broadband earlier this year with plans to snaffle 20 per cent of the market. Director of wholesale, Andy Hollingworth, claimed £200m had been ploughed into Opal’s NGN.

“We can call upon the finances of (parent company) the Carphone Warehouse, which is debt light,” he said. “This puts us in a very good position to invest.”
He added that Opal’s £10 per user price and 24Mb download speed would unsettle larger carriers.

“The initiative has been hugely disruptive,” he said. “But the ability to invest £200m changes your fundamental cost base. We have to ensure we have invested in the right network to go forward.”

Hollingworth claimed changes to VARs’ commission structure by some of the major network operators (Channelweb, 27 October), gave Opal a chance to woo resellers.

“We are continually upscaling the resources of our partner teams and are always looking for new VARs,” he said. “We have got to be all things to all men ­ from small office/home office to high-end corporate ­ and offer it all to our partners.”

Suzanne Chappell, managing director of Opal VAR TM Solutions, said: “Opal has the network and the investment. My account manager is excellent and I also have access to other people above him.”