Telstra commits to ADSL transfer process

Telstra has put in place processes to address some of the inconsistencies in ADSL provisioning in response to concerns raised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

"The ACCC welcomes this commitment by Telstra", ACCC Chairman Mr Graeme Samuel, said today.

The processes that Telstra has implemented assist two categories of consumers.  The consumers that will benefit from the new procedures are:

• consumers that have an ADSL connection via Telstra BigPond and upon submitting an application to transfer their ADSL service to a different ADSL provider are advised that they are unable to have ADSL connected due to excessive transmission loss and failure of service qualification (SQ), and
• consumers whose SQ assessment failed when they applied for an ADSL connection from an ADSL provider, yet within 30 days of the SQ being performed are able to have ADSL connected via Telstra BigPond.

The commitment made by Telstra is that it will:

• permit a customer to transfer to their chosen ADSL provider where that customer's line fails SQ due to excessive transmission loss, but the customer is currently being provided with an ADSL service by BigPond, and
• permit a customer to transfer to their chosen ADSL provider at no cost and with no break fees where an ADSL order placed through an ADSL provider fails SQ but Telstra subsequently accepts an order via BigPond for the provision of ADSL on the same service line.  

It is important for consumers to note however, that the transfer process applies where:

• ADSL services are supplied by either Telstra BigPond or Telstra Wholesale ADSL provider,
• the Telstra BigPond connection occurred within 30 days of the original failed SQ result, and
• the difference between the original failed SQ result and the subsequent pass SQ result was due to an error and not because of other circumstances, for example, as a result of a network upgrade during the intervening period.

Consumers who have experienced difficulties in ADSL provisioning, and wish to have their situation assessed for the applicability of this transfer process, should contact their preferred ADSL provider who will be able to lodge a complaint with Telstra on their behalf.

"Whilst consumers should be aware that not all technical difficulties experienced in ADSL connection will be addressed by these processes, this represents a commitment from Telstra to ensure that consumers will be able to choose the ADSL provider of their choice and be provided with that service in a timely manner, following clear procedures, and at no cost", Mr Samuel said.

Background

ADSL - Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line - uses the copper wire network to enable a broadband service to be delivered via a dedicated line from the customer home to a telephone exchange. ADSL is a high bandwidth 'downstream' service, coupled with a lower bandwidth 'upstream' service. Typically, such asymmetric services are well suited to Internet access and services like Interactive TV where more data is going to the customer than is being sent by the customer.