Commerce Commission stated that it will continue to be able to regulate mobile roaming in New Zealand. It is an important regulatory backstop for promoting competition in mobile telecommunications markets for benefit of New Zealanders.
National roaming allows customers of one mobile network to use another mobile network when they are outside their own provider’s coverage area.
Telecommunications commissioner, Tristan Gilbertson, says “Commission has decided to leave existing obligations in place following consultation on whether there were reasonable grounds for considering their removal.”
“Coverage is a critical feature of being able to offer competitive mobile services at the retail level and national roaming is a valuable regulatory backstop against which commercial negotiations for wholesale access can take place,” Gilbertson adds.
“National roaming has been critical to the development of the New Zealand mobile market and to enabling 2degrees, in particular, to provide services across the country as it progressively built out its own national mobile network.
“At this stage, we don’t consider the telecommunications market has developed to such an extent that roaming regulation is no longer necessary to safeguard new entry and promote competitive outcomes in the market,” Gilbertson concludes.
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