TELECOMMUNICATIONS
NARRATIVE
Message house
All New Zealanders can make confident choices to stay connected in ways that fit
their situation, lifestyle, and business.
We drive the sector to be competitive and customer focused for the benefit of al New Zealanders and
the economic wel being of our country.
•
We are an independent Crown entity, responsible for monitoring and regulating the
telecommunications industry.
•
We draw on significant pools of data and information from multiple sources, including complaints
from the public, to inform our work.
•
We draw on experiences, local and global, to help shape the future of telecommunications in
Aotearoa New Zealand.
•
We produce and promote information and resources that help New Zealanders to make the right
choices for their situation.
Call to action
•
Talk to your provider to check you’re on the right plan for your situation
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Visit comcom.govt.nz for independent information to help you to compare what’s on offer.
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If there’s another plan or service that’s better for your situation, switch plans or providers today.
Supporting facts and figures
Customer service dashboard
Retail services quality monitor
Quarterly broadband measure
Annual monitor (telecommunications performance)
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Elevator pitch
Formal
We drive the telecommunication sector to be competitive and customer focused for the benefit of New
Zealanders and the economic wel being of our country. When New Zealanders sign up to a
telecommunications provider or plan, they can have confidence they’ve chosen the provider and
products that’s right for them.
Informal
Our work is focused on the telecommunications sector being competitive and customer focused. We
do this for the wellbeing of New Zealanders and our economy.
When New Zealanders sign up with a telecommunications provider, we want them to be confident that
it’s the right provider for their phone and broadband needs. We want them to access information that
helps them make those choices, and to have confidence to review their arrangements regularly or
whenever life changes.
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Website copy examples
Commerce Commission - Telecommunications (comcom.govt.nz)
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We work to ensure fixed-line (broadband) and mobile markets are
We want all New Zealanders to be able to make confident choices
competitive through regulation of wholesale telecommunication
about the telecommunication services and products that they buy.
services and our monitoring of how the retail market is performing.
We drive the telecommunications sector to be competitive and
customer focused for the benefit of New Zealanders and the
economic wel being of our country. When New Zealanders are
considering providers and products, they make decisions that are
right for their situation, lifestyle, and business.
Our role in telecommunications
We play an essential role in making sure New Zealand’s
We work to ensure broadband and mobile markets are competitive
telecommunications sector is healthy
through regulation of wholesale telecommunications services and
A wel -functioning telecommunications market is great for New
our monitoring of how the retail market is performing.
Zealanders and for business. As an independent Crown entity, we
are responsible for monitoring and regulating the
Under the Telecommunications Act 2001 we have two primary
telecommunications industry in Aotearoa New Zealand.
functions. The first is to regulate certain fixed-line and mobile
services by setting the price and/or access terms for that service.
We draw on experiences, local and global, to help shape the future
The second is to monitor and report on competition, performance
of telecommunications. We work with significant pools of data and
and developments in telecommunications markets. Both of these
information from multiple sources, including complaints from the
functions are focused on promoting competition and transparency
public, to inform our work.
in telecommunications markets for the benefit of consumers. In
We use this wealth of information and experience to produce and
addition, we are also responsible for allocating the exact amount
promote resources that help New Zealanders to make confident
telecommunications providers must pay in Government levies
choices about the telecommunication services and products that
each year.
are right for them.
The Government completed its review of the Telecommunications
Act in 2017. On 7 November 2018, Parliament approved
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amendments to the Act which change how we regulate the sector
from 2020 on.
Telecommunications for consumers
We help New Zealanders make confident choices
The world of telecommunications can be complex. Our consumer
We provide information that helps New Zealanders to make
advice is designed to provide you with information to help you
confident choices about the telecommunication services and
make informed purchasing decisions, enter into a fair contract with
products for their situation, lifestyle, and business.
your provider, ensure you receive accurate and understandable
• When to review your service provider
bills, and provide advice about where to turn if things go wrong.
• Key questions to ask
• Comparison tool
• Deciding to switch
• Where to go if things go wrong
We monitor and regulate the market
As well as monitoring and regulation, we also manage two publicly
available registers (the register of Chorus non-retail users and the
register of eligible persons) and we charge telecommunication
providers a levy for infrastructure.
• Monitoring
• Regulation
• Registers
• Levies and obligations
Monitoring telecommunications markets
Monitoring
As part of our regulatory role, we actively monitor
We monitor the telecommunications markets for competition,
telecommunications markets and produce reports on how they are
performance, and development. We conduct inquiries, reviews,
performing and developing.
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• monitoring competition in, and the performance and
and studies to ensure the sector continues to serve the changing
development of, telecommunications markets
needs of New Zealanders and our economy.
• conducting inquiries, reviews, and studies relating to the
• Annual monitoring report
telecommunications industry for the long-term benefit of
• Broadband report
consumers of telecommunications services in New Zealand
•
…
publishing information about telecommunications markets.
Regulated services
Regulation
Under the Telecommunications Act, some services that
We regulate certain services that telecommunication firms supply
telecommunications firms provide to each other are regulated to
to each other so that the market remains competitive for the
help promote competition in the market for the benefit of
benefit of New Zealanders.
consumers. The Commission is responsible for determining the
• Codes
terms of supply for these services.
• List of projects
• …
Register of Chorus non-retail users
Registers
As a telecommunications provider, you must make an application if Register of Chorus non-retail users
you wish to be supplied services from Chorus.
• Purpose…
Chorus must not supply telecommunications services to a user if
• Who must register…
that user wil consume 25% or more of the services supplied
themselves.
• How to register…
We manage applications to add users to the register, make this
Register of eligible persons
information public, and receive complaints about the inclusion of
• Purpose…
users on the register.
• Who must register…
Updates to the register are ongoing
• How to register…
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The telecommunications industry makes financial contributions to
Levies and obligations
the Government through a compulsory levy. This funding is used
We charge telecommunication providers a levy which pays for
to improve New Zealand's telecommunications infrastructure and
improvements to New Zealand’s telecommunications infrastructure
provide certain services such as assistance for the deaf and
and special services such as assistance for the deaf and hearing
hearing or speech impaired.
or speech impaired.
• Telecommunication development levy
• Telecommunications relay service
• Contributing to Codes
Media release example
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Revised
Commission welcomes new broadband marketing codes
New codes help New Zealanders make informed choices about
The Commerce Commission welcomes new marketing codes for
broadband
the telecommunications industry that will help consumers make
The Commerce Commission says new marketing codes for the
informed choices about the best broadband service for them.
telecommunications industry will give New Zealanders confidence
The new codes were developed by the New Zealand
when deciding on the right broadband service for their needs.
Telecommunications Forum (TCF) in response to guidelines
The New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF) developed the
issued by the Commission using new powers to improve retail
codes in response to guidelines issued by the Commission using
service quality for consumers.
new powers to improve retail service quality for consumers.
…
…
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