iTnews
  • Home
  • News
  • Technology
  • Telco/ISP

ISPs back fresh look at Telstra facilities access

By Ry Crozier on Sep 6, 2013 12:49PM
ISPs back fresh look at Telstra facilities access

Prices for exchange, duct access may be regulated.

Australia's telcos and ISPs are backing plans to examine fresh regulation of the conditions and fees imposed for access to Telstra exchange buildings and ducts.

Optus, iiNet, AAPT and Macquarie Telecom have all issued statements supporting the commencement of a formal inquiry by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) into the issue.

The ACCC first floated the possibility of declaring so-called facilities access services in a July discussion paper (pdf).

The watchdog can "declare" certain services using its powers in Part XIC of the Competition and Consumer Act. Once declared, the service must be supplied under regulated terms and conditions.

Facilities access services that could be declared include:

  • Telstra Equipment Building Access (TEBA) — which is used by ISPs to install their own DSLAM equipment or for interconnection services.
  • Duct Access Service — which allows ISPs to install and operate their open cables in Telstra ducts, tunnels, manholes and pits.
  • External Interconnect Cable

ISPs have long reported issues with Telstra's facilities access services. The incumbent was fined $18.55 million in 2010 for blocking ISPs from accessing available space in exchange buildings.

Macquarie Telecom indicated it was particularly keen for price terms for facilities access services to be declared. (pdf)

iiNet agreed, labelling Telstra's access charges as "excessive".

"Though carriers have had regulated access to Telstra's facilities for over a decade, there is no prospect of more competitive pricing via commercial negotiations," iiNet said.

"Declaration would provide a means for the ACCC to promote competition by implementing cost based pricing".

Schedule 1 of the Telecommunications Act is an existing source of regulation that governs access to some Telstra facilities.

AAPT, however, said this avenue was "inefficient and badly flawed". iiNet said it had "first hand and current experience of the inherent difficulties of utilising the Schedule 1 mechanisms" for facilities access.

Several telcos raised the NBN as a reason to regulate Telstra exchange access more closely, given that most points of interconnect are to be housed in existing exchange buildings.

"Rollout of the NBN is unlikely to change the bottleneck characteristics of the Telstra facilities," AAPT said. (pdf)

"During the transition to NBN, continued access to TEBA will be required (and is unavoidable)..." Optus said in a separate submission (pdf).

"The NBN rollout adds additional importance and reliance for continued access to TEBA.

"Where a NBN POI will be co-located within an established TEBA site, access seekers should also be given the flexibility to directly interconnect with NBN Co from their existing TEBA space.

"Absent declaration, there is no certainty that this ability to interconnect directly to NBN Co within an existing TEBA site will be available."

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
Tags:
accessactcostductfacilitiesfeeinternetisppitproviderschedule 1servicetebatelco/isptelecommunicationstelstra

Partner Content

Why Genworth Australia embraced low-code software development
Promoted Content Why Genworth Australia embraced low-code software development
Security: Understanding the fundamentals of governance, risk & compliance
Promoted Content Security: Understanding the fundamentals of governance, risk & compliance
Accenture and Google Cloud team up to create a loveable, Australian-first, renewable energy product
Promoted Content Accenture and Google Cloud team up to create a loveable, Australian-first, renewable energy product
The Great Resignation has intensified insider security threats
Promoted Content The Great Resignation has intensified insider security threats

Sponsored Whitepapers

Extracting the value of data using Unified Observability
Extracting the value of data using Unified Observability
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership

Events

  • Micro Focus Information Management & Governance (IM&G) Forum 2022
  • CRN Channel Meets: CyberSecurity Live Event
  • IoT Insights: Secure By Design for manufacturing
  • Cyber Security for Government Summit
  • Forrester Technology & Innovation Asia Pacific 2022
By Ry Crozier
Sep 6 2013
12:49PM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • TPG CEO joins calls for tech giants to pay more for bandwidth
  • Telcos detail further flood responses
  • Telstra boosts optical links to 400 Gbps
  • NBN Co boosts its business service to 10Gbps
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Qantas calls time on IBM, Fujitsu in tech modernisation

Qantas calls time on IBM, Fujitsu in tech modernisation

Researchers hacked Oracle servers to demo serious vulnerability

Researchers hacked Oracle servers to demo serious vulnerability

PayTo rollout kicks off

PayTo rollout kicks off

Australian scientists build world's first quantum computer IC

Australian scientists build world's first quantum computer IC

Digital Nation

Integrity, ethics and board decisions in the digital age
Integrity, ethics and board decisions in the digital age
Crypto experts optimistic about future of Bitcoin: Block
Crypto experts optimistic about future of Bitcoin: Block
IBM global chief data officer on the rise of the number crunchers
IBM global chief data officer on the rise of the number crunchers
COVER STORY: Operationalising net zero through the power of IoT
COVER STORY: Operationalising net zero through the power of IoT
The security threat of quantum computing
The security threat of quantum computing
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.