Access row goes to the watchdog

By Richard Braddell

WELLINGTON - Long distance carrier WorldxChange has complained to the Commerce Commission, alleging that Telecom is unfairly withholding non-code access to its customers who have Telecom's Call Track service.

Non-code access allows customers who decide to use long distance carriers other than Telecom to automatically make those calls through the alternative network without first dialling an access code.

However, WorldxChange alleges that Telecom has been refusing to provide non-code access to customers with Call Track, and has not been alerting the customers or WorldxChange when non-code access has been denied.

WorldxChange's carrier manager, Geoff Weston-Webb, said that Call Track was used primarily by business customers who used it to keep a log of calls they were making.

Telecom's external relations manager, Clive Litt, said it was not technically possible to provide Call Track and non-code access.

"If a customer is transferring all their services there is not an issue. If a customer wants to transfer some of their services including Call Track, then they can't have non-code access," he said.

However, Mr Weston-Webb said if customers were electing to have non-code access then it was self-evident that they no longer required Telecom's national and international calls and thus had no need for Call Track.

The complaint came after a recent move by Telecom to do away with re-billing, a service under which customers with another carrier could elect to have the components of their telecommunications provided by Telecom collected and passed on by their other carrier.

It is also claimed that Telecom has reduced charges for its own customers while leaving rates unchanged for other carriers.