The Commerce Commission has started a review to determine whether Telecom faces limited competition in the provision of the unbundled bitstream access (UBA) service.
A media statement from the Commission announcing the review states: "The supply of the UBA service became subject to a competition test from December 2009. The UBA service allows telecommunications operators to supply a range of broadband services and gives them the ability to differentiate their retail products from Telecom’s retail broadband services.
Currently Telecom is required to supply the regulated UBA service to other telecommunications operators throughout New Zealand. Where the Commission finds that Telecom faces limited competition in an area, then the regulated UBA service will remain available in that area. In other areas where Telecom is not found to face limited competition, then it is likely that Telecom would no longer be required to provide the regulated service.
The Commission is today seeking information from providers and purchasers of wholesale broadband services, including Telecom. The Commission will consider the information received before releasing a draft review report. The Commission is expecting to release this report by mid September 2010." Information about the review can be found on the Commission’s website.