Telstra's 3G network: a great achievement, but...

Stuart Corner
Sunday, 08 October 2006 03:54

Opinion and Analysis

Given that Telstra's ability to provide this service relies on it having access to spectrum which it obtained when it had a monopoly (it is the spectrum in which the original analogue cellular service launched in 1987 ran) and that spectrum at similar frequencies that would enable any other carrier to replicate this coverage simply is not available there might be a good case for declaration. According to recent press reports, Optus certainly seems to think so.

Telstra refused to invest a few billion dollars in its FTTN network without certainly that it would not have to offer access to its competitors at regulated prices. Why was it happy to chuck a billion dollars at a cellular network without similar certainty?