ACCC reducing regulation of DDAS and ISDN services

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today issued its Final Report on declaring the Digital Data Access and Integrated Services Data Network Services and accompanying pricing principles with respect to the services.

The report concerns regulation of the DDAS and ISDN services in regional areas and outlines an extension of the declarations of these services until 30 June 2009 or a further 12 months from the expiry date of the current declaration.

The ACCC considers that both the DDAS and ISDN services are becoming outdated, legacy technologies. Since the previous review their use has declined in regional areas. Extension of the declarations for 12 months will provide an appropriate transition period for users to migrate to alternative technologies or services in regional areas.

The declarations of the DDAS and ISDN services in CBD and metropolitan areas of the capital cities were removed on 30 June 2006.

The ISDN is used for the carriage of information such as voice, data, high quality sound, text, still images, and video over the public switched telephone network. The service was declared in 1998.

The DDAS is an access service for the domestic carriage of data. The service can combine the use of a customer access line with management to ensure high quality data transmission. The service was declared in 1997.

The ACCC also notes that the implementation of a national broadband network potentially alters the competitive landscape of business data services in regional areas. However, the precise impact of a NBN – in terms of availability of wholesale business data services - is not yet known, nor are the processes by which any migration to the NBN will be managed. The ACCC expects that these issues will become clearer when the NBN process is finalised by the government.

A copy of the declaration report and pricing principles will be available on the ACCC's website.