Australian incumbent Telstra has submitted its Structural Separation Undertaking (SSU) and Migration Plan with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Last year, the company signed an A$11bn (US$11.7bn) non-binding agreement to take…
Australian incumbent Telstra has submitted its Structural Separation Undertaking (SSU) and Migration Plan with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Last year, the company signed an A$11bn (US$11.7bn) non-binding agreement to take part in the National Broadband Network (NBN) project, which requires the company to separate.
As part of the separation plan, customer services on Telstra’s copper network and television network will be taken over by NBN Co, the wholesale company created by the government to implement the NBN programme.
Telstra said that the separation would be finalised by 1 July 2018.
The company has also disclosed the Interim Equivalence and Transparency measures to be applied during the transition to the NBN. Telstra CEO David Thodey said in a statement: “The SSU delivers robust, effective and appropriate equivalence and transparency during the migration period in a way that avoids the complexity, cost and industry disruption that would be caused by functional separation.”
As part of the NBN plan, the government aims to expand high-speed broadband internet access to all Australians within three years. It aims to provide services to 93% of the population through fibre, while a further 7% will be served by either wireless or satellite technology.
The government has invested A$27bn (US$28.8bn) in equity in NBN Co. The expectation is that this sum will be repaid over the time of the investment and will ultimately produce a return for Australian taxpayers.
The ACCC is expected to soon begin a public consultation on the plan.