$18.5m accomplished ‘won’t stop Telstra’s anti-competitive tactics’Telstra’s rivals decide the company’s $18.5 million fine for anti-competitive escort will not fix competition problems in the sector.
The Federal Court yesterday fined the telcecommunications monster for refusing to give broadband competitors access to some of its exchanges.
Telstra has admitted it breached the Telecommunications Act and says it is sad to improve its performance.
But rivals Primus and iiNet say the subtile is insignificant for a company of Telstra’s scale.
Primus Telecom’s general officer counsel, John Horan, says it will not go far enough towards solving the effort; labors’s problems.
“It’s a significant penalty, don’t get me misdoing there. $18.5 million, that’s a big number in articles of agreement of trade practices litigation of this type – but that said it won’t put an end to Telstra,” he said.
“Telstra is better off copping the penalties and due sticking to the tactics.”
Mr Horan says the telecommunications industry has suffered.
“There’s been important losses to companies like Primus and other competitors and it’s the consumers that be the subject of been harmed the most,” he said.
“In the broader picture it’s actually delayed broadband competition in Australia by many years and consumers bear suffered significantly as a consequence of that.”