New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has released new draft reports on the copper unbundled local loop backhaul service and on the unbundled bitstream access backhaul service, revising criteria for determining whether Telecom New Zealand faces competition…
New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has released new draft reports on the copper unbundled local loop backhaul service and on the unbundled bitstream access backhaul service, revising criteria for determining whether Telecom New Zealand faces competition for providing these services.
“Backhaul is the final link connecting competitors to Telecom’s networks, so those competitors can provide communication services such as voice and broadband to households, without having to replicate Telecom’s network. Where the Commission finds that a link is competitive, it will not be subject to regulation. By contrast, where Telecom is found to face limited competition, a link will be regulated,” the Commission said in a statement to the New Zealand Stock Exchange.
“The Commission now considers that any alternative backhaul operator that is within one and two kilometres of a Telecom exchange will be considered a competitive constraint on Telecom unless the backhaul operator has publicly stated that it does intend to connect to the exchange,” added Dr Ross Patterson, telecommunications commissioner, in the statement.
Following submissions on the drafts, the Commission expects to release the final review reports by late October.
