ACCC telecommunications transmission capacity service cost model and documentation

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released the final version of the telecommunications transmission cost model in April 2008. The model is designed with the flexibility to calculate cost-based pricing for backhaul on any land based (terrestrial) or under sea (submarine) telecommunications transmission route in Australia.

Transmission capacity services are a critical input to the supply of broadband services to end-users across Australia, and with increased numbers of fixed and wireless networks, the pricing of these services will become increasingly important. The price of backhaul on routes without effective competition has often been cited by access seekers as a key obstacle to the roll-out of high-speed broadband into regional and rural Australia.

The ACCC intends to prepare indicative prices for the transmission service across a variety of routes and will commence a short consultation process in relation to this.