Orcon, Kordia and Callplus critique LLU draft

Orcon®, Kordia™ and Callplus critique L LU draft Determination

For immediate release:

Following the joint submission to the Commerce Commission on Telecom's standard terms proposal for local loop unbundling (LLU), telecommunications providers Orcon®, Kordia™ and CallPlus have made a joint submission on the Commerce Commission’s draft Standard Terms Determination for LLU.

The LLU standard terms proposal was developed by the Commission based on Telecom’s Standard Terms Proposal and submissions from Access Seekers including Orcon® and CallPlus. However, there were still a number of issues with the draft Determination.

As a result the Orcon®, Kordia™ & CallPlus submission shows support for areas in which the Commission has improved upon the Telecom Standard Terms Proposal, and outlines the remaining issues in the draft Determination.

“The Commission agreed with a number of suggestions from our original submission, and we are supportive of a number of the Commission’s decisions. However, there are a number of key issues where we still see a need for improvement,” said Orcon® Chief Executive, Scott Bartlett.

The previous submissions were a joint effort by Orcon® and Callplus, and this time, they have the added support of Kordia™.

“Telecom’s initial proposal, not surprisingly, was one-sided. The Commission’s draft Determination took account of many of the issues we raised however there are still outstanding issues,” said Graham Walmsley, CallPlus' General Manager of Wholesale and Regulatory.

“The ‘devil is in the detail’. We are concerned that there is potential for hidden costs that will impact on competitors’ LLU plans. The submission notes some of the high, sundry charges in the draft Determination, and the inclusion of some items that are ‘price on application’ for a number of key items required to support the LLU service,” said Walmsley.

The submission also highlights the need for VDSL technologies to be included as soon as possible in the regulated service.

“It is essential that local loop unbundling allows us to provide Kiwis with true broadband and the incredibly fast speeds we will be able to offer with VDSL2,” concluded Bartlett.

Orcon®, Kordia™ and CallPlus submitted their response to the Commission’s draft Determination on Wednesday.

ENDS

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