Ext User(Alan Parkington)
17-09-2008, 12:01 PM
From
http://www.nowwearetalking.com.au/news/mcgauchie-stop-separation-speculation
Telstra Chairman, Mr Donald McGauchie, today called on the Government to
bring an end to speculation around structurally separating Telstra.
Mr McGauchie's comments came after yet another competitor, Fairfax Media Ltd
chief executive David Kirk, tried to use the NBN as a way of lobbying for
Telstra to be broken up
"Mr Kirk is the latest in a long line of self-serving competitors who
are using the National Broadband Network as an excuse to call for an
Australian shareholder-owned company to be broken up," Mr McGauchie said.
"There are no facts or science behind their claims - just a desire to
see their competitor, Telstra, and its shareholders crippled. Anyone who
bothers to take even a cursory glance will see that around the world
structural separation has only led to increased costs, less investment, less
innovation and bad outcomes for consumers. Apparently our competitors are
focussed only on their self interest- not the consumers' interest.
"It is now time for the Government to once and for all bury this flawed
nonsense and take structural separation off the table. It should not be part
of this debate. All participants in the NBN need to know where they stand.
"I have made it absolutely clear that if the Government were to go down
this path then we would walk away from the NBN and invest the money
elsewhere.
"Indeed it's worth remembering in this debate that the Government
successfully sold its last shares in Telstra on the basis that the company
would remain as is."
Mr McGauchie said that Telstra had made it clear that if it won the NBN
tender the network would have an open access guarantee - it would be open to
all competitors.
"Open Access means that a set of products will be sold to both Wholesale
and Telstra Retail on equivalent terms," Mr McGauchie said.
"This will mean a level playing field for all wholesale users of the
network. It will then be up to the individual competitors to offer the
standard services the network offers and if they choose to, they can also
make additional investments on top of the fibre network to innovate and
offer unique content, value added services or service level offerings to
their customers."
http://www.nowwearetalking.com.au/news/mcgauchie-stop-separation-speculation
Telstra Chairman, Mr Donald McGauchie, today called on the Government to
bring an end to speculation around structurally separating Telstra.
Mr McGauchie's comments came after yet another competitor, Fairfax Media Ltd
chief executive David Kirk, tried to use the NBN as a way of lobbying for
Telstra to be broken up
"Mr Kirk is the latest in a long line of self-serving competitors who
are using the National Broadband Network as an excuse to call for an
Australian shareholder-owned company to be broken up," Mr McGauchie said.
"There are no facts or science behind their claims - just a desire to
see their competitor, Telstra, and its shareholders crippled. Anyone who
bothers to take even a cursory glance will see that around the world
structural separation has only led to increased costs, less investment, less
innovation and bad outcomes for consumers. Apparently our competitors are
focussed only on their self interest- not the consumers' interest.
"It is now time for the Government to once and for all bury this flawed
nonsense and take structural separation off the table. It should not be part
of this debate. All participants in the NBN need to know where they stand.
"I have made it absolutely clear that if the Government were to go down
this path then we would walk away from the NBN and invest the money
elsewhere.
"Indeed it's worth remembering in this debate that the Government
successfully sold its last shares in Telstra on the basis that the company
would remain as is."
Mr McGauchie said that Telstra had made it clear that if it won the NBN
tender the network would have an open access guarantee - it would be open to
all competitors.
"Open Access means that a set of products will be sold to both Wholesale
and Telstra Retail on equivalent terms," Mr McGauchie said.
"This will mean a level playing field for all wholesale users of the
network. It will then be up to the individual competitors to offer the
standard services the network offers and if they choose to, they can also
make additional investments on top of the fibre network to innovate and
offer unique content, value added services or service level offerings to
their customers."