Letter 1 [ New Customers Only]
Dear [Customer]
Your relationship with BT for Openreach products
As a result of the BT Undertakings agreed between BT and Ofcom, customers who
buy both Openreach products and products from other parts of BT have a choice of
Account Management and Relationship options. These are as follows:
1. Downstream Led - Account Management is conducted solely through a
downstream BT Line of Business, (Global Services, Retail or Wholesale) for
all BT products including those supplied by Openreach. N.B. you will still
need to place orders for Openreach products directly with Openreach but the
relevant downstream BT Line of Business will provide relationship
management and advice on what BT products and services will best meet
your business needs. Your Downstream account manager will manage your
relationship with Openreach and Openreach will share as appropriate
information that you have provided to them including information you have
identified as being confidential or that is orally provided and is confidential by
its very nature or which is operationally necessary to share to enable
Openreach to deliver its services to you.
2. Co-ordinated - Account Management is co-ordinated by a downstream BT
Line of Business and Openreach. This allows you to deal directly with
Openreach for its products and with the downstream BT Line of Business for
all other relevant products, and the two lines of business are able to discuss
your business and share any information that you have provided to either
Openreach or the downstream BT Line of Business including information you
have identified as being confidential or that is orally provided and is
confidential by its very nature.
3. Parallel - Separate parallel account management is carried out by both a
downstream BT Line of Business and Openreach. Under this arrangement
you will deal directly with Openreach for its products and with the
downstream BT Line of Business for all other products, with a dedicated point
of contact in each organisation. The two lines of business will not share
confidential information that you have provided about your business and (i)
have identified as being confidential or (ii) which is orally provided and is
confidential by its very nature. If you select this option (or do not sign and
return the attached Customer Choice Form), we will consider that all
commercial information that you provide to Openreach should be considered
as confidential and Openreach will accordingly not share it with other lines of
business unless you expressly authorise us to do so, or unless this is
operationally necessary to enable Openreach to deliver its services to you.
Please accordingly sign and return the attached Customer Choice Form to reflect
one of these three choices and to agree, where appropriate as set out above, to the
Issued by Openreach
© British Telecommunications plc 2007
Page 1 of 4
exchange of confidential information internally within BT corresponding to that
choice.
Whichever choice you make, Openreach products will be made available to you at
the same price, conditions and performance specification.
Please also note that where your primary contact and majority of orders are placed
with Openreach, and you wish to purchase small volumes of downstream line of
business products, Openreach can provide you with relevant contact details within
the downstream line of business.
It is important to note that the Undertakings require that no confidential information
you have provided, and have clearly designated as being confidential, or which if
provided orally is by its very nature confidential, flows between Openreach and
other BT channels (including account managers in other parts of BT) without your
prior permission as a customer unless it is operationally necessary for us to do so in
order for Openreach to deliver services to you.
This means that your downstream account manager will not be able to help you with
issues relating to Openreach products you have purchased (e.g. the progress of an
order or a service related question) if you decide not to sign and return the attached
Customer Choice Form as the default position adopted will be Parallel Account
Management. This form of account mangement will not allow Openreach to share
any of your information (including in relation to orders) with the downstream line of
business unless you provide specific consent for us to do so or it is operationally
necessary in order for Openreach to provide you with services.
Yours sincerely
[Your sales director]
Issued by Openreach
© British Telecommunications plc 2006
Page 2 of 4
Customer Choice Form
Please select choice as appropriate, sign and return the form to the address
detailed below.
Downstream lead - customer opt-in to BT downstream account lead
You have chosen to be account managed by a downstream BT Line of Business.
Note that you can change your mind about this arrangement at any time and choose
to be account managed by Openreach for its products if you wish. Your
downstream account manager will manage your relationship with Openreach and
Openreach will share as appropriate confidential information (i) that you have
identified as being confidential, or (ii) which is orally provided and is confidential by
its very nature or (iii) which is operationally necessary to share to enable Openreach
to deliver its services to you.
Co-ordinated - customer opt-in to BT account co-ordination
You have chosen to be account managed by both Openreach and a downstream BT
Line of Business and for the BT account managers to share confidential information
that you have provided about your business and (i) which you have clearly
designated as being confidential or (ii) which if provided orally is by its very nature
confidential or (iii) which is operationally necessary to share to enable Openreach to
deliver its services to you.
Parallel Management - customer opt-in to BT parallel account managementthis is also the default option if this form is not completed and returned within
four weeks.
You have chosen separate parallel account management by both a downstream BT
Line of Business and Openreach. Under this arrangement you will deal directly with
Openreach for its products and with the downstream BT Line of Business for all
other products, with a dedicated point of contact in each organisation. The two (or
however many) lines of business will not share confidential information that you
have provided about your business and have identified as being confidential or
which is orally provided and is confidential by its very nature. If you select this option
(or do not sign and return the Customer Choice Form below), we will consider that
all commercial information that you provide to Openreach should be considered as
confidential and Openreach will accordingly not share it with other BT lines of
business unless you expressly authorise us to do so, or unless this is operationally
necessary to enable Openreach to deliver its services to you.
_________________________________________________
I [Name and Position] …………………………………an authorised representative of
[Customer Name]
……………………………………………………(the Customer)
Issued by Openreach
© British Telecommunications plc 2006
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Confirm that the following option is requested (please circle as appropriate)
Downstream / Co-ordinated / Parallel
and that [Customer Name] confidential information which has been provided and
has been identified as being confidential or which is orally provided and is
confidential by its very nature can be shared where appropriate as set out above in
accordance with this option.
[Signed] ……………………………………………………………….
[Date]
……………………………………………………………….
Please return this form to me at [insert address]
Issued by Openreach
© British Telecommunications plc 2006
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