TELECOMMUNICATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Telcos slam NBN’s marketing push

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Original article by James Fernyhough
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 26-Mar-19

Telcos such as TPG Telecom have accused NBN Co of targeting their business customers. Their view is that NBN Co is meant to be a wholesaler and it should not be having direct contact with end users. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has observed that NBN Co is permitted to directly promote its services to end users, but that it is not permitted to recommend retail service providers to end users. The ACCC’s view has been backed up by the federal government.

CORPORATES
TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, NBN CO LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, MACQUARIE TELECOM GROUP LIMITED – ASX MAQ

TPG calls for reduction in damaging NBN price

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Original article by James Fernyhough
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 & 20 : 20-Mar-19

TPG Telecom has posted a 2018-19 interim net profit of $47.4m, which is 76.3 per cent lower than previously. The result was marred by a write-down associated with a decision to shelve plans for its own mobile network. TPG has advised that earnings from its core residential fixed-line broadband business fell 4.8 per cent to $243m during the half-year. CFO Craig Levy has warned that TPG will have to scrap its entry-level national broadband network plan unless NBN Co reduces its wholesale prices for budget plans.

CORPORATES
TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, NBN CO LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NEW STREET RESEARCH, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

The 2018, 8th Annual Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards: Telecommunications and Utilities Winners

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Mar-19

Australia’s most satisfying home phone, mobile phone, internet, and utilities service providers were recently announced at the 2018 Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards. Optus is the Home Phone Service Provider of the year, with six monthly awards, while Virgin Mobile was named Mobile Phone Service Provider of the year, also with six monthly wins. Meanwhile, iiNet has been named Internet Service Provider for a fourth consecutive year and the Apple iPhone took out the award for Handset Provider for an eighth consecutive year. Red Energy took out the award for Electricity Provider for a fourth successive year, while Kleenheat is the Gas Provider of the year.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, VIRGIN MOBILE (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, IINET LIMITED, APPLE PTY LTD, RED ENERGY PTY LTD, KLEENHEAT GAS PTY LTD

TPG plunges on doubt over merger plans

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Original article by James Fernyhough
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 14-Dec-18

Australian Competition & Consumer Competition chairman Rod Sims says its preliminary view on the proposed merger between Vodafone Hutchison Australia and TPG Telecom is that it will lead to less competition. The ACCC will delay its decision on the $15 billion merger for three months, while Sims’ comments caused TPG’s share price to fall by 16.7 per cent on 13 December. Vodafone CEO Inaki Berroeta says the merger with TPG is still on track, and that it will be good for consumers.

CORPORATES
VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

$850m bonanza as sale of 5G spectrum beats expectations

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 17 & 28 : 11-Dec-18

The federal government has raised a total of $853m from an auction of 5G spectrum, including $700m for regional spectrum. The reserve price was $185m for the 350 lots of 125MHz of spectrum on offer, and telcos paid an average price of $0.29 per megahertz per population. Telstra has paid $386m for 143 lots of spectrum and the joint venture between TPG Telecom and Vodafone has paid $263m for 131 lots. Telstra CEO Andy Penn says the telco is "very pleased" with the outcome of the auction.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, DENSE AIR, AIRSPAN NETWORKS INCORPORATED

Telstra to offer Kayo Sports streaming service

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 24 : 28-Nov-18

Telstra has advised that Foxtel’s new Kayo Sports video-on-demand service will be available to users of its own streaming platform. Telstra’s Michael Ackland says the telco does not expect Kayo to cannibalise the audience for its own sports streaming content, which includes AFL, NRL and A-League matches. Kayo subscriptions are priced from $25 per month, but Ackland notes that Telstra’s Live Pass subscribers will be able to access Kayo for free. It will also be available via the Telstra TV device.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, KAYO SPORTS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Upset customers, get sacked: Optus

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Original article by Jennifer Duke
The Age – Page: 11 : 30-Oct-18

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman recently reported that the number of complaints from Optus customers increased by 35 per cent in 2017-18. Optus CEO Allen Lew has warned that employees who are found to have upset customers will be sacked, while staff who observe colleagues who appear to have upset customers are being urged to report them via Optus’s independently-run whistleblower phone line. Lew has told staff that customers are their "boss", not him.

CORPORATES
TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY OMBUDSMAN LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, MYREPUBLIC PTE LTD

Virgin Mobile goes out on top with second monthly award in 2018

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Oct-18

Virgin Mobile has won the Roy Morgan Mobile Phone Service Provider Monthly Customer Satisfaction Award for August, with a customer satisfaction rating of 88%. Virgin Mobile jumped ahead of ALDImobile on 84% to claim its second award for the year. Virgin Mobile and ALDImobile have increased their customer satisfaction by 12% and 14% respectively over the last 12 months. Both Virgin Mobile and ALDImobile have achieved multiple victories in the Mobile Phone Service Provider category in 2018 and are the leading contenders to take out the annual award. Virgin Mobile is not itself a network provider but rather a Mobile Virtual Network Operator which utilises the underlying Optus mobile network to provide its service. When it comes to the underlying mobile networks, the Optus network with an overall customer satisfaction rating of 78% is narrowly ahead of both the Vodafone network on 77% and the Telstra network on 75%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, VIRGIN MOBILE (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, ALDIMOBILE, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

NBN Co to pay telcos $25 for every missed appointment

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 13-Sep-18

NBN Co has provided a court-enforceable undertaking to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission regarding missed or late appointments by its technicians. It will pay a rebate of $25 to retail service providers (RSPs) such as Telstra, TPG Telecom and Vodafone Hutchison Australia every time an appointment is missed or a technician is late. Under the terms of the undertaking, the RSPs are expected to take "reasonable steps" to ensure their customers receive some form of benefit as a result of the improved rebates.

CORPORATES
NBN CO LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VOCUS GROUP LIMITED – ASX VOC, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

TPG bulks up ahead of 5G mobile race

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Original article by Supratim Adhikari
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 31-Aug-18

The merged TPG Telecom and Vodafone Hutchison Australia will boast eight million customers and revenue in excess of $6bn. TPG founder David Teoh will have a 17 per cent stake in the combined group, while Vodafone’s existing parent companies Vodafone Group and CK Hutchison Holdings will jointly own 50.1 per cent of the new company. The $15bn deal will be closely scrutinised by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, which will examine factors such as its impact on the mobile and fixed broadband markets, as well as the forthcoming auction of 5G spectrum.

CORPORATES
TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VODAFONE GROUP PLC, CK HUTCHISON HOLDINGS LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, WASHINGTON H SOUL PATTINSON AND COMPANY LIMITED – ASX SOL, VERTIUM ASSET MANAGEMENT