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Telstra fined A$18.5 mn for blocking access

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CIOL Bureau
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: An Australian federal court fined telecoms firm Telstra A$18.55 million (US$16.71 million) for denying competitors access to infrastructure in contravention of its carrier licence, the competition regulator said on Wednesday.

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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the court concluded that Telstra took no steps to develop a culture of compliance with its access obligations under the Trade Practices Act and the Telecommunications Act.

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The Commission was seeking a fine of A$34 m to be imposed on the telecommunications giant, alleging Telstra’s senior management ranks had knowingly conspired to deny its wholesale customers such as Optus and iiNet access to install equipment in seven lucrative metropolitan telephony exchanges, said Australian IT.

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However, Justice Middleton found that no such conspiracy had existed.

“I reject any suggestion that the contraventions occurred as a result of any implicit or express direction from the then chief executive of Telstra to all Telstra employees to make access to competitors difficult,” Justice Middleton said in his judgment.

(With inputs from CIOL Bureau)

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