Summary

  • The ACCC opened a consumer survey and a written discussion-paper consultation on 15 October. Submissions close at 5pm on 26 November; the survey closes at 5pm on 10 December.
  • Neither channel is a vote on regulation. The ACCC says it has not decided whether to declare domestic roaming, radio access network access, either, or no service.

Two routes for evidence

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) began its Mobile Services Inquiry on 5 August. The new event is the consultation that opened on 15 October: one invitation asks consumers about their experience; the other asks interested parties to address a discussion paper. The ACCC announcement sets different closing times: 5pm on 26 November for written submissions and 5pm on 10 December for the survey.

The survey asks what consumers value when choosing a provider, why they switch and how they experience coverage, service quality and choice. The survey page is open to all consumers and says responses may appear in public-facing inquiry reports. Its public overview does not describe a sampling or weighting method. That is a reason to avoid treating the responses as a probability sample or a measure of national prevalence; it is not evidence that the ACCC has no method elsewhere.

The discussion paper asks a different question: whether a change to wholesale access would advance the long-term interests of end-users. Under the paper’s statutory framework, the ACCC must consider competition, any-to-any connectivity, and efficient use of and investment in infrastructure. The paper examines domestic roaming, which lets a provider’s customers use another network in declared areas, and radio access network (RAN) access, which lets a provider use another operator’s active radio equipment while retaining its own core network. The technical and investment trade-offs differ. Submissions are generally public unless clearly marked commercial-in-confidence, giving the written record outside scrutiny subject to that exception.

The regulator has not formed a view. A declaration could cover one service, more than one, or none; starting an inquiry is not a commitment to intervene. The distinction matters because survey testimony can reveal where people encounter poor choice or service, while submissions can explain market structure, costs, implementation and likely investment effects. Neither alone settles the legal test.