May 5, 2017
Member for Maranoa David Littleproud said he was disappointed to learn on Friday of the ACCC’s draft decision proposing to not declare a wholesale domestic mobile phone roaming service.
However, he said he wouldn’t back down on improving mobile coverage and competition for the people of Maranoa.
“Roaming” refers to a mobile phone customer to be able to automatically make calls or use data by connecting to a tower outside their usual network, eg. a Vodafone customer connecting to a Telstra tower, or vice versa.
“While I respect the umpire’s decision, the fact is that what we’ve got isn’t working and I’m committed to improving telecommunications for my communities,” Mr Littleproud said.
Throughout the Domestic Roaming Inquiry, mobile network operators – particularly Telstra and Optus – maintained that if roaming was regulated it would threaten their investment plans in rural Australia.
The ACCC said in its draft decision it had insufficient evidence, with key information being commercial-in-confidence, that a declaration would improve the current state of competition overall.
“I’m calling on Telstra, Optus and Vodafone to lay their rural investment plans in Maranoa on the table,” Mr Littleproud said.
“The people of Maranoa deserve to know how their provider will help them, their family and their business into the future, and this is now more important than ever with this Coalition Government’s focus on decentralisation.
“Since I was elected, I’ve been calling on the telcos to be good corporate citizens and come forward with a solution to this problem. It’s frustrating for me because all of my calls have fallen on deaf ears.
“I believe choice is key and without healthy competition, there’s no incentive for Telstra to offer the best possible customer service at the best price for the people of Maranoa.
“I know most people in Maranoa are Telstra customers because there’s no other choice, and it’s completely unacceptable that people who are with Telstra for their seamless coverage when travelling, can’t latch on to Vodafone or Optus tower.” Mr Littleproud said.
Mr Littleproud said regulatory reform, which placed greater emphasis on the consumer, was a must for rural and regional customers.
“This week I’ve been visiting rural and remote communities in the south-west region of Maranoa and mobile phone coverage is a major frustration.
The ACCC will make its final decision in mid-2017 and invites submissions on the draft decision until June 2, 2017.
Submissions can be emailed to mobileroaminginquiry@accc.gov.au
- External link: Draft Decision On Domestic Mobile Roaming
