[LINK] 'flurry of gov action in telecommunications'

[Stephen Loosley]

Coonan opens up broadband race
<http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22201656-16123,00.html>
Michael Sainsbury | August 07, 2007 

THE federal Government is poised to unveil the guidelines and timetable for the $5 billion-plus residential broadband network that has been at the centre of its escalating dispute with Telstra.

Senator Helen Coonan's plan could help kill off broadband as an election issue

The process, which will be revealed as early as today, is expected to run beyond the federal election, helping to neuter broadband as an election issue. Interested parties are to be given an initial period of 30 days for comment on the draft guidelines. 

Both Telstra and a rival Optus-led group known as G9 have released some details of their plans, but the Government is hoping to attract wider participation. At least one offshore telco and one international infrastructure player are understood to be interested in the project. 

"If you are going to have anyone new in this race, you have got to give them some time to be able to get a bid together," Communications Minister Helen Coonan told The Australian. 

The release of details for the network comes amid a flurry of government action in the telecommunications sector, which included imposition of a new licence condition that may delay the January 2008 closure of Telstra's CDMA network. 

Senator Coonan said yesterday she had made the decision because Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo had told her the Next G network would not be available for testing until October, rather than August as originally promised. With testing taking up to 12 weeks, the change would leave the Government little time before Telstra's proposed January 28 switch-off date. 

"They said it would be available for testing about now and their own timetable has slipped to October," Senator Coonan said. 

"This is intended to give punters some comfort." 

Senator Coonan said she had asked Mr Trujillo in June to put back the switch-over date, but he had refused. 

Telstra spokesman Jeremy Mitchell said: "If the Government now wants to take a backward-looking view, rather than looking to the future of this nation, that would be disturbing to Telstra, its shareholders and its customers." 

Senator Coonan is understood to have received the draft guidelines for the so-called fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network on Friday and plans to release them mid-week. 

"Once people have commented, the final guideline will be released in September," she said. 

"The taskforce committee (which consists of bureaucrats and business people) has already received plenty of input." 

But Telstra continues to send out mixed messages about whether it will participate in the project, while working on alternatives. 

On the other hand, the Government may have to make major legislative changes to force Telstra to work with any rival network, which may see Telstra resort to the courts once more.  <snip>
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Cheers, people
Stephen Loosley
Victoria, Australia
.