International Benchmarking of Australian Telecommunications Services

CONTENTS

Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Foreword, Table of Contents, Abbreviations and Glossary, Overview

1 Introduction
1.1 Rationale for benchmarking telecommunications services
1.2 Approach
1.3 Study scope
1.4 Data Collection
1.5 Consultation
1.6 Refereeing
1.7 Structure of the report

2 Telecommunications services in Australia
2.1 The significance of telecommunications services to economic activity
2.2 Network structure and technological trends
2.3 Telecommunications services demand
2.4 Telecommunications carriers and service providers
2.5 In summary

3 Social policy and retail price regulation
3.1 The Universal Service Obligation
3.2 Retail price regulation
3.3 In summary

4 Regulation of competition
4.1 Evolution of regulatory arrangements
4.2 Approaches to regulating access
4.3 Number portability and carrier pre-selection
4.4 Access terms and conditions
4.5 Accounting separation
4.6 Regulating anti-competitive conduct
4.7 In summary

5 Residential price comparisons
5.1 Methodology
5.2 Public Switched Telephone Network
5.3 Integrated Services Digital Network
5.4 Mobile
5.5 In summary

6 Business price comparisons
6.1 Methodology
6.2 Small businesses
6.3 Medium-sized businesses - dial-up services
6.4 Medium-sized businesses - data services
6.5 Large businesses
6.6 In summary

7 Quality of service
7.1 Methodological issues
7.2 QoS regulation and monitoring in Australia
7.3 QoS performance indicators
7.4 In summary

8 Interpretation of performance
8.1 Measurement errors
8.2 External factors outside the control of industry
8.3 Government involvement and interventions
8.4 Prices, financial performance and productivity
8.5 Benefits of lower Australian prices

A Participants

B Telecommunications economics

C The value-added services sector

D Australian regulatory and institutional arrangements

E International regulatory and institutional environment

F Assumptions used for price comparisons

References