The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has accepted Telstra's structural separation undertaking (SSU) and approved its draft migration plan. The undertaking implements structural separation through migration to the National Broadband Network (NBN). Telstra has undertaken to deliver price equivalence to all its copper-based access services and exchanges through new wholesale contracts that will specify that, as a default position, the charges set out in ACCC access determinations are to apply. The recent declaration of the wholesale ADSL service means that this principle will also apply to that service. Telstra will also renegotiate existing wholesale ADSL contracts in light of the ACCC's recent access determination if requested by a wholesale customer. The new measures also include specific commitments to ensure the quality of Telstra's supply of regulated services, and the security of wholesale customer information. These commitments are supported by ring fencing arrangements and the periodic reporting of key performance indicators and financial accounts. The undertaking also provides for various compliance measures and dispute resolution processes, including an independent telecommunications adjudicator scheme. Telstra has also already signed a wholesale agreement with NBN Co for NBN services and released pricing for internet services on the NBN.
