Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ronaldson for the question and for his interest in regional and rural telecommunication services and, in particular, the important issue of the closure of the CDMA network. Since announcing its intention to construction the Next G network, Telstra has given public assurances that the CDMA network will continue to operate until the Next G network provides at least as good coverage and services. The government has heard loud and clear the concerns from regional and rural Australia about the problems currently being experienced with the Next G network. After hearing those concerns, I issued Telstra with a draft licence condition that would, if made, require Telstra to keep the CDMA network in operation until the Next G network provided at least as good coverage and services. In accordance with the legislative requirements, Telstra was given 30 days to consider the draft licence condition. Disappointingly, however, before I had a chance to fully consider Telstra’s submission on the draft, it commenced civil action in an attempt to prevent a final decision being made to protect rural and regional Australians from the network being shut down until there was equivalent or better coverage.

This is a very important matter for rural and regional consumers and they deserve better than to be left hanging while Telstra subjects them to a time-consuming, costly and pointless legal dispute. Accordingly, last week I authorised the Attorney-General, the Hon. Phillip Ruddock, to consider the matter and, if warranted, to make the decision in relation to the draft licence condition. I was today advised that the Attorney has in fact made the decision to vary the conditions of Telstra’s carrier licence to protect users in the transition from CDMA to Next G.