LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Britain should keep

competition in fast broadband to drive full-fibre coverage to

96% of premises by 2027, while capping the price BT's

Openreach can charge for slower speeds up to 80Mbit/s, up from

40Mbits/s today, Ofcom said on Thursday.

Four years ago, the regulator encouraged companies to build

gigabit-capable networks by promoting competition and by making

it easier for new entrants to use ducts and telegraph poles

owned by Openreach, the national network provider.

The measures helped drive the roll-out of full fibre

networks from less than a quarter of premises to nearly seven in

10, Ofcom said.

It proposed keeping the price of high speed products

free from regulation for five years from 2026, while protecting

consumers using copper-fibre connections of up to 80Mbit/s by

capping the price Openreach can charge to retail providers such

as Sky and TalkTalk.

In the most remote parts of the country where new

commercial networks were less viable, it said it would promote

investment in full-fibre build by Openreach.

Shares in BT opened up 0.5% on Thursday.

Ofcom will consult on its proposals until June 12, and

intends to publish its decisions in March 2026.