🚀 go-pugleaf

Tom Worthington wrote:

> The public hearing was to be in Melbourne on Tuesday 20 January at 2pm.
> Does anoyone know how it went?

No, but the Financial Review had a preview, I think it was in today's paper.
I would expect the AFR to report tomorrow 21 Jan.  I suspect, given the
complexities, that the hearing will last more than a day and the decision
will take some time.  Today's hearing was supposed to receive submissions
from each of the incumbent carriers (T, O and V).  Presumably the aspiring
carriers (eg AAPT, Primus, Northgate and so forth) get the floor too.  I
can't see all of that happening in just one day!

The ABC also previewed the hearing this morning.  Transcript:

QUOTE
                   ACCC to review mobile phone market
                   Tuesday 20 January, 1998 (9:38am AEDT)

                   Moves are under way to loosen the stranglehold Optus,
Vodafone and
                   Telstra have on Australia's multi-billion dollar mobile
phone market.

                   The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
                   launches hearings in Melbourne today aimed at removing
barriers to new
                   players entering the market.

                   ACCC spokesman Chris Pattas says with the big three
reluctant about
                   competition, arbitration may yet be needed to settle
future access
                   disputes.

                   "There is a concern that they have invested billions of
dollars in these
                   facilities in mobile facilities and in other facilities,
and that these
                   newcomers coming in are paying dirt cheap prices for it,"
he said.

                   "It's something that will be looked at in due course.

                   "It's not something that we are concerned with right now."

UNQUOTE

> There is also supposed to be discussion paper on "Domestic Intercarrier
> Roaming" available at the ACCC's home page, but I couldn't find it:
> http://www.accc.gov.au.

Try  http://www.accc.gov.au/contact/domestic.htm