Jagger
04-08-02, 11:05am
This is a reply i got from the ACCC about my substandard telephone line.
Thank you for your e-mail of 23 July 2002 to the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission ('the Commission') concerning Telstra's use of pair-gain
and/or RIM technology and your inability to access ADSL services.
By way of background, the Commission is responsible for overseeing the
development of a competitive telecommunications industry within Australia.
In particular, the Commission is responsible for enforcing rules prohibiting
anti-competitive conduct, and regulating access to the network inputs used
by service providers to supply competitive telecommunications services to
end-users. More generally, the Commission also has responsibility for
enforcing provisions in the Trade Practices Act 1974 ('the Act') relating to
consumer protection.
Pair-gain
A pair-gain system is an electronic device which enables several subscribers
to share a single physical line. A pair-gained line is sufficient for the
purposes of providing a standard telephone service. Under the universal
service obligation regime ('USO') as set out in the Telecommunications Act
1997 , a standard telephone service only needs to be sufficient to provide
voice services and 2400bps data transmission (ie., suitable for faxes and
teletypewriters). The use of pair-gain is not new, nor is it unique to
Australia. It has been used by PMG/Telecom/Telstra extensively for over ten
years, generally to enable additional standard telephone services to be
provided quickly without the need to lay more copper.
RIM
A RIM ('remote integrated multiplexer') is a piece of equipment that allows
network operators to deploy optical fibre deeper into the customer access
network (ie., the 'last mile' copper network leading to end-users). RIMs
enable greater capacity to the areas they service, as a more economical
alternative to putting in additional telephone exchange, particularly on
housing estates and condensed urban developments. RIMs do not in themselves
prohibit the roll-out of ADSL. RIMs must be enabled for DSL before ADSL is
available, just as exchanges must first be DSL enabled before ADSL will be
available.
Possible one-way broadband satellite rebate. The following information may
be of assistance to some consumers:
In July 1999 the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service
Standards) Act 1999 added a digital data service obligation to the existing
standard telephone service USOs. It is essentially a requirement to provide
ISDN or a comparable data service to consumers located within a special
digital data service area. As the carrier currently nominated for the USOs,
Telstra is required to ensure that an end-user can receive data at a
transmission speed broadly comparable to a 64kbps ISDN service. Special
digital data service areas include areas with a pair-gain system which are
4km from a metropolitan exchange capable of delivering ISDN (or 6km from a
country exchange).
A rebate of Telstra's one-way broadband satellite service is available to
consumers in these areas. The rebate is currently 50 percent of the
installation and equipment costs, capped at a maximum of $765.
Further details may be found in Telstra's Digital Data Services Plan for
Special Digital Data Service Areas, approved by Minister for Communications,
Information Technology and the Arts, 8 December 2001. Available at:
www.aca.gov.au (and search for 'special digital data service'). Pricing
details of Telstra's one-way satellite service is available at:
http://www.bigpond.com/broadband/satellite/pricing.asp.
What is the Commission doing?
The Commission has received a number of varying complaints about Telstra's
use of pair-gain and/or RIM technologies and is currently investigating
these to determine whether they raise any issues under the Act. Please note
that because your telephone service is capable of providing the minimum
required data speed (only 2400bps) as set out under the Telecommunications
Act and in the USO the Commission is not able to direct Telstra to remove a
pair-gain or RIM system.
The Commission has made a note of your complaint and will contact you only
if further information is required.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
Erica Cumming
Senior Project Officer
Enforcement - Telecommunications Group
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
Ph: 03 9290 1868
Fax: 03 9663 3699
e-mail:erica.cumming@accc.gov.au
Thank you for your e-mail of 23 July 2002 to the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission ('the Commission') concerning Telstra's use of pair-gain
and/or RIM technology and your inability to access ADSL services.
By way of background, the Commission is responsible for overseeing the
development of a competitive telecommunications industry within Australia.
In particular, the Commission is responsible for enforcing rules prohibiting
anti-competitive conduct, and regulating access to the network inputs used
by service providers to supply competitive telecommunications services to
end-users. More generally, the Commission also has responsibility for
enforcing provisions in the Trade Practices Act 1974 ('the Act') relating to
consumer protection.
Pair-gain
A pair-gain system is an electronic device which enables several subscribers
to share a single physical line. A pair-gained line is sufficient for the
purposes of providing a standard telephone service. Under the universal
service obligation regime ('USO') as set out in the Telecommunications Act
1997 , a standard telephone service only needs to be sufficient to provide
voice services and 2400bps data transmission (ie., suitable for faxes and
teletypewriters). The use of pair-gain is not new, nor is it unique to
Australia. It has been used by PMG/Telecom/Telstra extensively for over ten
years, generally to enable additional standard telephone services to be
provided quickly without the need to lay more copper.
RIM
A RIM ('remote integrated multiplexer') is a piece of equipment that allows
network operators to deploy optical fibre deeper into the customer access
network (ie., the 'last mile' copper network leading to end-users). RIMs
enable greater capacity to the areas they service, as a more economical
alternative to putting in additional telephone exchange, particularly on
housing estates and condensed urban developments. RIMs do not in themselves
prohibit the roll-out of ADSL. RIMs must be enabled for DSL before ADSL is
available, just as exchanges must first be DSL enabled before ADSL will be
available.
Possible one-way broadband satellite rebate. The following information may
be of assistance to some consumers:
In July 1999 the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service
Standards) Act 1999 added a digital data service obligation to the existing
standard telephone service USOs. It is essentially a requirement to provide
ISDN or a comparable data service to consumers located within a special
digital data service area. As the carrier currently nominated for the USOs,
Telstra is required to ensure that an end-user can receive data at a
transmission speed broadly comparable to a 64kbps ISDN service. Special
digital data service areas include areas with a pair-gain system which are
4km from a metropolitan exchange capable of delivering ISDN (or 6km from a
country exchange).
A rebate of Telstra's one-way broadband satellite service is available to
consumers in these areas. The rebate is currently 50 percent of the
installation and equipment costs, capped at a maximum of $765.
Further details may be found in Telstra's Digital Data Services Plan for
Special Digital Data Service Areas, approved by Minister for Communications,
Information Technology and the Arts, 8 December 2001. Available at:
www.aca.gov.au (and search for 'special digital data service'). Pricing
details of Telstra's one-way satellite service is available at:
http://www.bigpond.com/broadband/satellite/pricing.asp.
What is the Commission doing?
The Commission has received a number of varying complaints about Telstra's
use of pair-gain and/or RIM technologies and is currently investigating
these to determine whether they raise any issues under the Act. Please note
that because your telephone service is capable of providing the minimum
required data speed (only 2400bps) as set out under the Telecommunications
Act and in the USO the Commission is not able to direct Telstra to remove a
pair-gain or RIM system.
The Commission has made a note of your complaint and will contact you only
if further information is required.
I trust this information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
Erica Cumming
Senior Project Officer
Enforcement - Telecommunications Group
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
Ph: 03 9290 1868
Fax: 03 9663 3699
e-mail:erica.cumming@accc.gov.au