Fixed Services Review – Declaration Inquiry Public inquiry into the fixed line services declarations Draft Report December 2013

The PSTN OA and PSTN TA service descriptions should be amended to remove terms and conditions of supply

For example, the current service descriptions contain provisions relating to the forecasting of port requirements:

For each POI, the AS should provide forecasts, at least half yearly, of switchport requirements for 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months from the time of the forecast. Forecasts should be provided on dates to be agreed between the AP and the AS and forecast the switchport requirements from operative dates of 31 December and 30 June. Forecasts will be discussed by the AP and the AS with a view to agreement within 30 Business Days. Forecasts will be used by the AP for network planning and not for charging purposes.

Similarly, the current service descriptions for PSTN OA and PSTN TA contain provisions relating to:

• 
  service elements;
  
• 
  availability;
  
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  service restrictions;
  
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  barring;
  
• 
  interconnection handover arrangements;
  
• 
  POI locations
  
• 
  POI designation for codes
  
• 
  Calling Line Identification (CLI)
  
• 
  Forecasting, ordering and provisioning arrangements
  
• 
  Network conditioning
  
• 
  Operational and fault handling arrangements
  
• 
  Inter carrier/carriage service provider (C/CSP) billing frequency
  
• 
  Provision of tones and network announcements
  
• 
  Customer billing
  

The ACCC notes that it does not consider it appropriate to regulate alternative methods of voice interconnection at this time, as discussed in section 6.3.2. Consequently, the ACCC is not proposing to remove provisions that functionally describe the declared services or those provisions that dictate the technical specifications of interconnection (e.g. CCS#7 signalling and 2.048 Mbit/s switchports). The ACCC considers that its proposed service description is technically feasible as the major carriers, regardless of their core voice network infrastructure, presently interconnect using this method and have been doing so for some time.

While proposed service descriptions specify the method of interconnection (i.e. are technology specific), the ACCC further discusses technology neutrality, in the context of the core switching technology of voice networks, in section 6.4.4.

The PSTN OA and PSTN TA service descriptions should be amended to better reflect the technological neutrality of the declared services

The ACCC considers that regulated voice interconnection services are, and should be, available across all networks.

For the sake of clarity, the ACCC is proposing to remove the provisions in the existing service descriptions that refer to ‘PSTN and PSTN equivalent’. The ACCC considers that this will remove ambiguity and reflects its view that the scope of the declared service is not confined to the PSTN network and that voice networks with an IP-based core fall within the scope of regulation of interconnection services.

For the same reason, the ACCC is proposing to amend the name of the PSTN OA service to Fixed Originating Access Service (FOAS) and PSTN TA to Fixed Terminating Access Service (FTAS).

Other issues

Key Points

The ACCC intends to give further consideration to whether to commence a separate inquiry into declaring facilities access services. The ACCC notes that facilities access services that are ancillary to declared services may be regulated through the Final Access Determinations (FADs) for the relevant declared services. The ACCC considers that access terms and conditions for the internal interconnection cable (IIC) is best regulated through the FADs for the unconditioned local loop service (ULLS) and line sharing service (LSS). The ACCC will assess whether there is any need to consider an inquiry into the declaration of hybrid-fibre coaxial cable (HFC) services further, following clarification of the role of HFC networks in supplying telecommunications services within the broader context of the National Broadband Network (NBN). The ACCC will consider whether to commence a separate inquiry into declaring a wholesale business-grade (symmetrical) DSL service. On the basis of the information available to it, the ACCC does not intend to commence an inquiry into declaring a fixed to mobile service. The ACCC is of the view that there are good substitutes for buying a bundled fixed to mobile service and that current fixed to mobile charges appear to be broadly reflective of the costs of supplying the service. The ACCC does not consider it necessary to amend the service descriptions for any of the six declared services so as to exempt carriers other than Telstra from supplying the declared services. The ACCC does not consider that granting such carrier-specific exemptions would promote competition and be in the long-term interests of end-users (LTIE). The ACCC considers that an appropriate duration for the declarations is five years. The ACCC may consider any other emerging issues relevant to the provision of fixed line telecommunications services using the processes in Parts XIB and XIC of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA) where appropriate.

The ACCC notes that the structure of the telecommunications industry is currently undergoing significant change, including the transition from Telstra’s copper network to the National Broadband Network (NBN). The ACCC considers there is some uncertainty regarding how markets for the delivery of fixed line telecommunications services will develop. The competitive and regulatory landscape is also likely to be influenced by policy developments relating to the design and rollout of the NBN and any associated commercial arrangements.

Additionally, the ACCC notes that the industry is characterised by rapid developments in technology, such as the deployment of new access networks and the introduction of new, higher quality services over existing access networks.

The ACCC considers that a number of policy, commercial and technology developments may potentially have implications for competition in markets for fixed line services. The ACCC proposes to monitor emerging issues and may initiate processes under Parts XIB or XIC of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 CCA as appropriate, should it receive information from industry or should circumstances develop that warrant further consideration.

The ACCC received a number of submissions on issues not covered in the previous chapters of this draft report.

A number of submissions advocated that the ACCC declare services that are not currently declared. Before the ACCC can declare a new eligible service, it is required to hold a public inquiry about its proposal to make the declaration under section 152AL of the CCA.²²⁷ This would be separate to this current inquiry. To declare a service, the ACCC must be satisfied that doing so will promote the LTIE of end-users. The following considers whether separate public inquiries should be held for certain services.

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