David Young

IT / Telecoms Consultant, Programme Manager and Business Coach

Exclusive Supplier Renegotiation – Major UK ISP

Summary:

Broadband operators had very little ability to differentiate based on network cost or services due, in the main, to a strong reliance on a regulated wholesale product set from BT. In other countries, Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) had provided this required differentiator but in the UK this option was not commercially viable for standard consumer services. Whilst leading a regulatory campaign to make LLU commercially viable in the UK, David launched and led a programme to pressure existing (exclusive) supplier to become more competitive through a public investigation into alternative wholesale options. David:

Led a team to produce a detailed understanding of the current cost base

Generated a highly credible and group approved network strategy detailing the sensitivity of costs and commercial power gained through in-sourcing a small number of key elements of the network

Established CEO sponsorship of a programme to follow the above strategy through, in the form of a potential change of access network [and associated OSS systems]

Developed a detail understanding of alternate ATM/DSL access infrastructures and cost structures of alternative wholesale offers

Led a team to create a dynamic model of current infrastructure costs and map this against alternative wholesale options – the output of which was a preferred design model for RFP and an internal knowledge of the price positioning required

Led the process of a public RFI and RFP for the supply of alternative wholesale DSL access

Presented to board recommendations to move this programme to a strategic negotiation tool against current suppliers, in-line with increasingly favourable responses on LLU

Key Skills Deployed:

Project management and governance

Senior stakeholder management (Cxx level)

Technical Strategy development

Multiple option business case development & financial modelling

Industry research

Public RFI / RFP process management

Negotiation

Regulatory liaison

Outcome:

A position of strong negotiation and credibility was created against the incumbent supplier to the point that a significant saving (in the order of 10% of total broadband access costs) was realised with no need to change infrastructure.

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