The Commerce Commission has decided that Telecom's new wholesale broadband service, VDSL2, or very-high-speed digital subscriber line 2, does not need to be regulated.
The new service incorporated features not included in the regulated unbundled bitstream access (UBA) service and it was appropriate that the market determined the price for the
enhanced service, the commission said.
UBA is a regulated wholesale service that allows telecommunications companies to supply a range of broadband services to retail customers.
Telecom Wholesale is required to provide those services covered by the UBA service description on a non-discriminatory basis to its own retail arm, Telecom Retail, as to other telecommunications companies.
Telecommunications Commissioner Ross Patterson said the commission was satisfied that the new service had higher specifications, which differentiated it from the regulated service, and it was appropriate that the price be set by the market.
