The Commerce Commission has received an application from Vodafone for an access determination under the Telecommunications Act 2001.

The application relates to the provision by Telecom of interconnection with Telecom's fixed PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) for calls to and from Vodafone's local numbers. The application does not include calls to and from Vodafone's mobile numbers.

Interconnection is the service whereby carriers exchange call traffic between each other's networks, enabling customers of one network to call customers on the other carrier's network. In this case it would enable Telecom customers to make, for example, a local call to a Vodafone customer with a local number.

The Commission will ask the parties comment on the application before it decides whether or not to investigate the application.

A copy of the application is available on the Commission's website www.comcom.govt.nz.