Better business access to digital data Australia-wide

Businesses accessing digital data across Australia will benefit from today's Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's decision to vary the service's declaration.

Digital data access provides high quality data products to business customers, including retailers, banks, insurance companies and other financial service providers, government departments and agencies. It is central to facilities such as automatic teller machines and EFTPOS. The market value of data and related services and products provided by Telstra alone is estimated at more than $500 million and is one of the fastest growing areas of the telecommunications market.

The variation to the data service declaration removes the requirement on service providers to route their traffic via Telstra's capital city switches. This change is designed to reduce the cost and expand the range and quality of digital data services available, particularly in regional areas. "The ACCC expects greater competition in data markets, particularly in regional areas. Service providers will be able to offer the same services to regional customers enjoyed by city customers," Mr Rod Shogren, Commissioner with responsibility for telecommunications, said today.

The variation follows a public inquiry into ISDN services and competition in data markets and follows consideration of the inquiry draft report. "The ACCC was satisfied the variation is in the long term interests of end users. The decision will take effect from the ACCC's issuing of its final public inquiry report into competition in data markets. But the ACCC expects access providers and access seekers to begin negotiations soon in good faith so that the benefits can flow promptly to end users."

The ACCC can 'declare' services for access or make variations to declared services where this is in the long term interests of end users as defined in section 152AB of the Trade Practices Act 1974.

Further information on the ACCC decision to amend the service declaration for the digital data access service and details of the amended service declaration are available on the ACCC's website.