In telecommunications, an open access networks refers to a horizontally layered network architecture and business model that separates the physical access to the network from the delivery of services.

There are two different Open Access models; a two-layer or three-layer model. In the two layer model, there is a network owner and operator and then multiple Retail Service Providers deliver services over the network. The three layer model is where the physical layer (the fibre infrastructure) is owned by one company, the operations and maintenance of the network and the provisioning of services is by a second, and the third layer is the Retail Service Providers. Irrespective of which model is used, fundamentally an Open Access Network means "organisation separation" of each of the layers, that is the network owner/operator cannot also be a Retailer on the network.

OptiComm created the Open Access business model in Australia and was the first carrier to deploy such a model, certainly well ahead of the other major Open Access FTTP deployments around the world. It was our success that prompted the Government to adopt this model for the National Broadband Network, which in turn is now being copied by other national broadband networks being deployed around the world.