Yes, it would be the simplest if the ISP just owned the problem and perhaps BT's systems were improved to give the ISP more information (I believe they get a lot more than they let on).

Splitting BT up may not help, you would have at least the same number of bodies - Linesco owning the lines, the exchange and (maybe) the DSLAM, BT Retail or others selling telephony over the line and ISP selling broadband over the line.

What would your model look like ?

It is possible for someone to retail line+calls+broadband all in one that they buy from BT Wholesale, wholesale price reductions have happened recently or are on their way. BT Retail obviously do this now, Carphone Warehouse / Phones4U / OneTel look to be going that way.

I agree, Nildram doesn't come out of this covered with glory. It's just that I've got some idea of how complex it can get to understand who you can and can't talk to, with these Chinese walls. I think it could be a lot simpler.

an entertaining story. Your friend ordered an ADSL service on a line that wasn't his, perhaps there should be a mechanism to prevent this. He didn't tell Nildram where the house was, he gave them a phone number and a matching postcode.

The owner inevitably had the line terminated on moving out which could have resulted in a re-numbering which would also have screwed up BT's systems as they associate ADSL provision with a number not a pair of wires.

This isn't the first example I've read today of Nildram abrogating responsibility and not taking a matter to resolution. If a consumer resorts to calling BT (Retail) they can never get it fixed as the contract is between the consumer, the ISP and BT Wholesale. Also if you call 150 and mention the word "broadband" it is very likely that a cubicle dweller in a call centre will put you through to BT Broadband the Retail ISP, who are the least relevant people.

This to me is a story of a customer jumping the gun with ISP collaborating and then failing to communicate effectively.

You get a voice service on a line from BT Retail. The same line can be used to carry broadband from an ISP. How much simpler could it be ?

There is simply no way of preventing the bureaucratic mess that defines broadband in the UK, unless or until we stop BT from being both supplier, distributor and retailer of broadband.

And that's the one thing the Regulator is not going to do.