This results from the fact that operators rolled out their local access networks over significant periods of time protected by exclusive rights and were able to fund its investment costs through monopoly rents. In addition, the ubiquity of the copper local loop access infrastructure controlled by the incumbent operator is not in all circumstances economically feasible to duplicate, and alternative local access infrastructures (cable TV, wireless local loops, satellite, etc) cannot usually be constructed with the same ubiquity and competitive conditions within a reasonable time.
