Australia: ACCC to undertake wide-ranging study of telecomm sector

The competition regulator will undertake a market study to discover the exact state of the telecommunications sector, with the focus on the national broadband network (NBN) and 5G technology.

Head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Rod Sims told The Australian that this was more than a health check and the sector was in a state of flux and uncertainty.

NBN prices have been a constant source of complaint and there is often a blame game indulged in by the NBN and retail service providers when there are problems with a connection.

Sims said that there were other things, such as the impending entry of 5G, the Internet of Things and its spectrum needs and whether Australia had the right investment for the anticipated growth in data use.

He said that the moves by Vodafone in the NBN market and TPG Telecom’s entry into the mobile market were positives.

But, he said, there was a need to examine whether the ACCC’s existing regulatory mechanisms were enough to manage a changing industry.

Full Content: The Australian

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