ACCC telecommunications reports 2004–05

Under Part XIB, Division 11, sub-section 151CL(1) of the Trade Practices Act 1974, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is required to provide the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts with an annual report on competitive safeguards within the Australian telecommunications industry. This report (known as the Division 11 report) covering the financial year 2004–05 and ongoing actions immediately afterwards, is provided as an attachment below.

The telecommunications industry continued to progress toward a more competitive environment in 2004–05. The key features of 2004–05 were the decline of high margin voice revenues across the industry, as substitution occurred between fixed and mobile segments, and within the fixed-line segment; and substantial growth in broadband take-up (more than 100 per cent annual growth).

Division 12 of Part XIB of the Trade Practices Act 1974 requires the ACCC to report each year to the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts on prices paid by Australian consumers for telecommunications services. This report (known as the Division 12 report) for the 2004–05 financial year is also provided as an attachment below.

The Division 12 report monitors prices consumers pay for PSTN (public switched telephone network) services and mobile telephony services. For PSTN services, it analyses prices paid by residential and business consumers for basic access service (or line rental) and for local, national long-distance, international and fixed-to-mobile calls. For mobile telephony services, this report covers prices paid by consumers for services on the global system for mobiles (GSM) and code division multiple access (CDMA) networks.