Telstra drops out of Broadband World

05.11.2008
The Competitive Carriers Coalition (CCC) and chair of Broadband World Australia 2008 have claimed that Telstra has pulled out of the event after it failed to force conference organiser, Terrapinn, to remove the CCC and independent telco analyst, Paul Budde, from the program.

The CCC represents the interests of non-dominant telco carriers in Australia such as iiNet, Hutchison, TransACT and Primus, and according to its website advocates "pro-competition policy and regulation". Budde is chairing Broadband World Australia 2008 taking place Wednesday and Thursday this week in Sydney, and along with the CCC has been a proponent of an open access next-generation National Broadband Network (NBN).

Both Budde and the CCC believe Telstra wants to carry over the monopoly it currently holds over telecommunications infrastructure onto the NBN, whose tender is . They have warned throughout the NBN debate that a Telstra owned and operated NBN would continue the of Australia's current telecommunications industry, where among the highest OECD prices for the poorest speeds. They argue Telstra should undergo some to split the incumbent's retail and wholesale arms to remove the incentive to favour itself.

Telstra has by stating that a call for separation is a , fearing that any form of separation would unfairly hit its shareholder's back pockets.

The CCC issued a press release on Tuesday stating that Terrapinn did not bow to Telstra's demands that it remove the CCC from Broadband World Australia if it wanted Telstra to meet its commitment to provide a speaker at the event, after the CCC indicated it would not voluntarily step down.

"[Telstra] said it would not attend because the NBN bids had not been submitted and because it did not like the 'balance' of a panel discussion," the release said.