Telecommunications access dispute

Telstra Corporation Limited has notified the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission of an access dispute with AAPT Limited under Part XIC of the Trade Practices Act 1974.

The dispute primarily relates to the charges to be paid by Telstra to AAPT for domestic PSTN terminating access services, to enable the termination of local calls from Telstra's network to ISPs connected to AAPT's network. Accordingly, the ACCC has begun the arbitration process.

Given that the legislation contemplates that arbitrations be conducted in private the ACCC will not be making any public comment at this stage.