Telstra's Migration Plan

On 17 February 2017, Telstra provided the ACCC with a proposed Required Measure 5(E).

Required Measure 5(E) details the proposed process Telstra will use for the managed disconnection of direct Special Services and Special Service Inputs covered by NBN Co’s White Paper 3 – for the Access Service Family Wholesale Transmission – CRA 163 Telstra domestic tail transmission capacity service.

Telstra’s copper-based Wholesale Transmission services including copper-based Managed Leased Line and Data Carriage Services (collectively known as the Covered Access Service Family) provide customers with a secure point-to-point connection for transmitting voice, data and IP information.

Required Measure 5(E) was developed after Telstra announced on 6 October 2016 a national product exit for the Covered Access Service Family services supplied over the copper access network. This means the Covered Access Service Family products will be disconnected according to Telstra’s BAU national product exit process.

A final exit date has not been announced for these products but it is expected to be in 2022.

Special Services (and Special Service Inputs) are generally business services delivered over Telstra’s copper network for which a replacement product was not initially available over the National Broadband Network (NBN). For this reason, Special Services are disconnected during the course of the NBN rollout on a different timetable to the ‘region by region’ disconnection process used for standard voice and broadband services. An extended timeframe for disconnection has been provided for Special Services in order to allow time for replacement product functionality to be developed.

Telstra is currently consulting with its wholesale customers and NBN Co on the proposed measure. Should wholesale customers have any concerns arising from the Required Measure, we encourage them to engage with Telstra directly to make their views known. Consultation closes on 20 March 2017.

On the conclusion of the consultation, Telstra is obliged under the Migration Plan to update the ACCC on the consultation and identify any changes made as a result of consultation. The ACCC is not required to approve Telstra’s proposed Required Measure 5(E) but may object to it if it is not compliant with the Migration Plan Principles.