COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE PROPOSAL FOR INDUSTRY MANAGEDNUMBERING TO STREAMLINE PROCESSES AND ENHANCE AGILITY TO CUSTOMER NEEDS

Sydney, 26 May 2017 – Management of Australia’s telecommunications numbering arrangements may be transferred from Government to industry in a bid for greater efficiency, under a proposal released today by Communications Alliance.

The proposal would see a range of responsibilities – including the allocation of fixed and mobile numbers, the provisions for ‘smart’ numbers (think ‘13TAXI’, for example,) and the management of numbering plan regulatory framework, placed in industry hands in a bid to create more efficient and agile solutions to customers’ numbering needs.

In its consultation paper, released for public comment today, Communications Alliance sets out its preferred approach to take on the management of telecommunications numbering. The proposed numbering scheme would transfer numbering management from the industry regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to Communications Alliance, as the peak body representing the telecommunications industry.

Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton noted "Through process improvement and resource rationalisation, this proposal has the potential to deliver greater efficiencies for the industry and a better experience for Australian telecommunications consumers.

The proposal would align with principles for an industry managed numbering scheme under deregulatory proposals in the Communications Legislation Amendment (Deregulation and Other Measures) Bill 2017, currently before Parliament.  Necessary changes to the Telecommunications (Numbering Charges) Act 1997 have already been implemented by the Telecommunications (Numbering Charges) Amendment Act 2016.

Adopting an industry-managed numbering scheme would be subject not only to passage through Parliament of the Bill but also to Communications Alliance reaching suitable agreement on the new arrangements with relevant existing service providers, i.e., the ACMA, ZOAK Solutions, Paradigm. One and Industry Numbering Management Services (INMS).

Release of this paper is a part of a broad consultation process with many stakeholders, including consumer representatives, regulators (i.e. the ACCC and ACMA), the Department of Communications and the Arts, and the telecommunications industry.

Communications Alliance invites comment by Friday 23 June in reply to the questions in the consultation paper.

Further information

The consultation paper is available from here.

The Telecommunications (Numbering Charges) Amendment Act 2016 is available from https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016A00008

The Communications Legislation Amendment (Deregulation and Other Measures) Bill 2017 is available from https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017B00057