Vodafone welcomes changes to Telecommunications Amendment Bill
Vodafone commends the Select Committee for recommending changes to the draft legislation that will ensure Kiwis continue
to benefit from a competitive, innovative and sustainable telecommunications market.
Vodafone Chief Executive Russell Stanners said, “We are especially pleased the Committee has listened to the concerns we
raised around relaxing line of business restrictions on Chorus and LFCs and ensuring the anchor products are set fairly
and in the interests of consumers.
“While Vodafone acknowledges the Select Committee has included a recommendation to keep fibre unbundling included in the
legislation, we are concerned this doesn’t include a recommendation to have prices set independently by the Commerce
Commission.
“Leaving unbundling pricing in the hands of Chorus and LFCs will prevent unbundling becoming a commercial reality, as
was the experience with copper unbundling. This is a missed opportunity to accelerate innovation and competition for the
benefit of New Zealanders.
“Now is the crucial time to ensure our industry is prepared for the next decade and beyond. As part of that we would
like to see Chorus and the LFCs to outline their vision for New Zealand’s fibre future because in contrast to the levels
of investment and innovation we are witnessing with wireless networks, LFCs are simply not keeping pace with technology
advancements in fibre,” said Russell.
ENDS