Aussies put VoIP under the microscope

The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) will hold public workshops to discuss issues raised in its recent discussion paper, Regulatory Issues Associated with Provision of Voice Services Using Internet Protocol in Australia.

ACA Acting Chairman Dr Bob Horton said that many new entrants to the Australian telecommunications market are using or intend to use the voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP, technique to deliver voice telephone services, so there is a groundswell of interest in workshops, which will assist inputs and considerations of the discussion paper.

“The proliferation of VoIP services raises questions about how they should be regulated. The ACA has already called for industry comment on the application of current regulations to VoIP services,” said Dr Horton.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) will join the ACA in the workshops.

“As well as regulatory matters for which the ACA is responsible, there are policy and competition matters relating to the introduction of VoIP services. DCITA and the ACCC would like to examine these in greater detail as part of this process,” said Dr Horton.

DCITA will provide a short paper examining the interaction between VoIP and the current policy and regulatory framework, which canvasses some alternative approaches.

The ACCC has also prepared a short paper looking at how the provision of VoIP and other next generation services may affect the sources and use of market power in areas such as network architecture, interconnection standards, interoperability of devices and numbering.

“The three agencies are working closely together. Their involvement in the workshops means that people attending can consider and comment on the overall regulatory and competition framework for VoIP services.” said Dr Horton.

VoIP is widely used to refer to a range of service types. Part of the function of the workshop will be to examine how the current regulations could apply to different elements and features of VoIP services, and where a change in thinking might be necessary to accommodate a new era in voice and data networking.

Feedback from the workshops will be considered as part of the ACA’s review of VoIP regulation.

The workshops will be held at the following venues:

Perth
3 December 2004, 9.00 am–1.00 pm
Conference Room, Ground Floor
Septimus Roe Square, 256 Adelaide Terrace

Brisbane
7 December 2004, 9.00–1.00 pm
North Stradbroke Room, Holiday Inn Hotel
Roma Street

Melbourne
6 December 2004, 9.00 am–1.00 pm
ACA Conference Room, Level 44
Melbourne Central, 360 Elizabeth Street

Sydney
9 December 2004, 9.00 am–1.00 pm
Venue to be finalised – contact the ACA for details

Written comments on the issues raised should be submitted by 31 December 2004. More information about making written submissions is in the discussion paper, which is on the ACA website.

The DCITA paper should shortly be available at: www.dcita.gov.au and the ACCC paper is available at www.accc.gov.au.

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