ACCC nixes reporting rules for dark fibre providers

The ACCC has elected not to require dark fibre and nbn aggregation service providers to provide pricing and supply data.

Following a public consultation which commenced in February, the regulator has decided not to pursue record-keeping rules that would require these providers to submit information about supply and pricing quarterly.

Dark fibre providers deliver wholesale access to fibre infrastructure for transmission services.

Meanwhile, nbn wholesale aggregation service providers combine nbn wholesale access in conjunction with the provider’s own wholesale transmission services, and are used by smaller nbn retail service providers without the scale to make a direct nbn connection.

This could have been the first step towards tighter regulation — the rules were proposed in response to concerns about the availability and level of competition in the wholesale fibre sector.

But ACCC Commissioner Cristina Cifuentes said the consultation has determined that competition in the market for nbn aggregation services is developing along with the nbn rollout.

Meanwhile, more alternatives to dark fibre services are being made available, and investment in Australia’s domestic transmission capacity service (DTCS) has improved access to telecommunications backhaul infrastructure at competitive prices.

“We have seen significant recent developments in this market, including the entry of more providers, a bigger variety of products and more reliable passing through of nbn price discounts and product launches to wholesale customers,” she said.

“We will continue to monitor these markets as the nbn rollout progresses, and will reconsider the issue if we see competition diminishing.”

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletter and quarterly magazine.