VoIP Leaps Forward With Telecom Offer
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Posted Mon 26 March 2007 @ 5:37 a.m. by Ernie Newman
A voluntary offer by Telecom to make available two new services delivering Naked DSL looks set to bring competition and choice into the market significantly faster than if this had been left to the regulatory process.
Naked DSL - the ability for Telecom's competitors to purchase a broadband line without a POTS voice service - is one of the key services designated in the amendments to the Telecommunications Act last December. But this year it has become apparent that these services would take a long tme for the Commerce Commission to deliver due to the necessarily cumbersome nature of its legal processes.
So Telecom - as keen as anyone else to get certainty and make progress - offered through the Telecommunications Carriers Forum to deliver two new services on a voluntary basis. But it wanted the Commission to engage in the process to ensure the voluntary product, and the later regulated one from the Commission, were reasonably similar to avoid another round of disruption. At last week's scoping workshop it was clear that the Commission will play ball.
Telecom's plan has widespread support within the TCF and has been endorsed by TUANZ. It will include two services. One is a basic low-end "best efforts" service for Web browsing or email. The second is a higher specification service that will support real time applications including Voice over IP.
All this is excellent news for users. Telecom since the policy announcements of 3 May 2006 has bent over backwards to become a good corporate citizen. The ranks of the doubters are diminishing and thiks pro-active stance should help win a few more converts. TUANZ is very happy with this significant progress.
Today's Dompost has more.
Categories: Fixed line carriers | ISPs | Regulatory | TUANZ policy