Web access shift vital: Telecom

By RICHARD BRADDELL

WELLINGTON - Telecom says it would have copped even more flak if it had not introduced 0867 internet access to protect its network.

While the move has been branded as anti-competitive, Telecom's industry services manager, Bruce Parkes, said 0867 access was introduced for no other reason than to manage soaring internet traffic, which would overtake voice on its local network next year and could account for 70 to 80 per cent of total traffic in two years.

Critics of the scheme, which imposes a 2c-a-minute charge after 10 hours each month of residential access for those who do not sign up to 0867, say it makes no difference to the load on the network and suggest its introduction has more to do with frustrating competitors.

The incoming Government says it will investigate the scheme as a priority, while a Commerce Commission report on its validity could appear this week.

But while Mr Parkes told a briefing there was no physical difference between 0867 connections and the local dial-ups, the brief diversion of internet traffic to a so-called intelligent network that would monitor 0867 traffic would enable traffic to be quickly rerouted or restricted in the event of an outage or overload.

Speed and flexibility were vital since, unlike voice calls where an overload message could alert callers to stop dialling, the "attack" or repeat dialling of a personal computer on unsuccessful connections might result in an avalanche of calls that brought down other parts of the network.

Asked whether the same network control might not be achieved by simply transferring internet service provider numbers to the intelligent network, Mr Parkes suggested that was not practical, given multiple access numbers used by many of more than 100 providers and the likely need for manual intervention under such an arrangement.

Executives were adamant that Telecom's network could cope with expected internet traffic, but no network was built to cope with 100 per cent of the calls that were statistically possible.

However, executives were less forthcoming on the implications for 0867 interconnection arrangements with other carriers, particularly Clear Communications, which is likely to lose million of dollars from Telecom's restructuring of charging for termination of internet traffic.

While Telecom had made offers to other carriers to transfer 0867 traffic free in either direction, the executives said their focus had been entirely on network security.

* Lorraine Witten, Telecom's general manager, mobility, said the successful bidder from a shortlist comprising Nortel and Lucent Technologies for provisioning its new CDMA digital cellular network would be revealed before Christmas.

About half the cost of the network - between $180 million and $220 million - will be paid to the equipment supplier.

The network is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2001 and will provide a seamless path to high-speed mobile data and internet that will be delivered under the next cellular generation.