The Commerce Commission has reported to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology on Sprint International New Zealand Limited's performance in complying with the Telecommunications Service Obligations (TSO) Deed for Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) for the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009. This Deed sets out the service quality requirements for the provision of the TSO relay services which enable hearing impaired telecommunications users to make relay calls.

Each year, Sprint is required to provide the Commission with information on its compliance with the Service Quality Measures in the TSO Deed. These service quality measures require that at least 85 per cent of calls will be answered by relay assistants within 15 seconds (SQM1) and that no more than five calls per 100 to the TRS system will receive a busy signal (SQM2). Compliance with these measures is assessed annually and is based on a review of quarterly figures.

The Commission has advised the Minister for Communications and Information Technology that it is satisfied that Sprint has met one of the two applicable Service Quality Measures.

While in one quarter, Sprint did not meet the performance target for SQM1, this failure was not sufficient to trigger a performance penalty. A performance penalty is only triggered if in more than one quarter less than 76.5 per cent of non-emergency calls to the TRS system are answered by relay assistants within 15 seconds. In the first quarter 84.2 per cent of calls were answered within 15 seconds.

Background

Telecommunications Act 2001

The relevant TSO instrument is the TSO Deed for Telecommunications Relay Services dated 9 July 2004 between the Crown and Sprint International New Zealand Limited, (the Deed). Under the Deed, Sprint agreed with the Crown that Telecommunications Relay Services would meet the service quality measures in Schedule 3 of the Deed.

Sprint International is a multinational telecommunications provider.

A copy of the Deed is available at www.med.govt.nz

Section 80 of the Telecommunications Act 2001 states:

Not later than 60 working days after the end of each financial year of a TSO provider under a TSO instrument, the Commission must -

a) assess the TSO provider's compliance with the TSO instrument during that financial year in accordance with any process set out in the TSO instrument; and

b) notify the TSO provider and the Minister in writing of any non-compliance by the TSO provider with the TSO instrument.