Mobile termination regulation in New Zealand
Project by Link Economics Group
Provision of expert economic analysis for Two Degrees Mobile on Mobile Termination Rate (MTR) regulation, 2009-2011
Emma Ihaia was retained by Two Degrees as an economics expert to provide evidence to the Commerce Commission on a range of regulatory issues that the company faced when launching its services in New Zealand, including mobile termination rates, mobile tower colocation, and national roaming pricing.
Emma quantified the competition benefits of MTR regulation, assessed pricing principles and access methodologies, carried out international MTR benchmarking, assessed the overall welfare effects of regulation, and evaluated the effects on competition of on-net/off-net price discrimination.
The Commission introduced regulation of MTRs and implemented monitoring of on-net and off-net traffic flows. Two Degrees entered the market and is now an established competitor.