Counties Power message

By ADAM GIFFORD

Speed up number portability, leave unbundling the local loop to the market.

That is the message to the Telecommunications Commissioner from the newest entrant to the telecommunications market, Counties Power.

The Pukekohe-based lines company opened its $21 million Wired Country broadband access network for business yesterday, with four retailers signed up so far to sell data and possibly voice services across it - Iconz, The Packing Shed, Ihug and TelstraClear.

All four want to target the business market, but residential customers will look more attractive later in the year once Counties Power has a wireless network filling in areas its fibre doesn't reach.

Wired Country means Franklin residents join those people who are on TelstraClear's Wellington and Christchurch networks as having a real alternative to Telecom's copper last mile.

Counties Power chief executive Neil Simmonds said he would gatecrash industry forums if necessary to impart some of the lessons - and warn of some of the mistakes - of power industry regulation.

He said if the telecommunications commissioner decided to unbundle the local loop, forcing Telecom to give competitors direct access to subscribers for the complete service, technology-driven alternatives would become less attractive.

"People like TelstraClear and others will not come and retail on our networks, even if they can get a better margin offering new services. They will be better off looking at national products which make sense for them."

He said if alternative fibre and wireless networks became established, Telecom would be forced by the market to unbundle to preserve revenue.

"With number portability, I can't see negatives. It is such an obvious thing - people should own their own name and their number and their domain name."

Simmonds said Telecom should pay for switching numbers to the customer's preferred service provider.

Business customers in Pukekohe will be able to choose from a range of services, starting with the Iconz all you can eat 256Kbps service for $99 a month and a $110 installation fee to a 10Mbps service which Wired Country is selling for $900 a month plus a $1000 installation fee.