KEY POINTS:
As widely tipped, Communications Minister David Cunliffe has today announced the appointment of a new Telecommunications Commissioner.
New Zealand lawyer Dr Ross Patterson will replace current commissioner Douglas Webb in July, Cunliffe told the Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand conference in Wellington this morning.
Patterson is currently based in Sydney as a partner of law firm Minter Ellison specialising in competition and regulatory law.
He has expertise in competition law, telecommunications law, payment systems regulation and competition policy.
Cunliffe thanked Webb for his work as the first Telecommunications Commissioner.
"It was a challenging role, being tasked with implementing an entirely new telecommunications regime, one which had to rebuild the regulatory approach after a lost decade."
Cunliffe has also announced a combined auction of 2.3 GHz and 2.5 Ghz spectrum to take place in December.
Spectrum in the 2.3 GHz range was expected to be auctioned this month.
"It seems likely that WiMAX type equipment will be widely available in both these frequency bands within 12 months, so it makes sense to look for a faster overall expedited allocation process."
Cunliffe said the expanded auction will put more spectrum into the market sooner, and fast-track the rollout of broadband wireless by more competing players.
