Mobile Roaming and Co-Location Investigation

Roaming allows subscribers of one mobile network (home network) to use their mobile telephone handset on a different mobile network (visited network) to make and receive calls. It allows a new entrant to offer nationwide services while it builds its own network.

On 16 November 2006, the Commission formally commenced investigations into whether to amend the terms of the roaming services under Schedule 3 of the Telecommunications Act 2001. 

On 10 March 2008, the Commission issued its final recommendation to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology on the regulation of mobile roaming. The Commission recommended that the mobile roaming service not be designated, which means that it will not be subject to price regulation. The Commission also recommended that the definition of the service be amended to make it compatible with modern technology. The Minister accepted the Commission's recommendations, but asked the Commission to consider whether there were grounds to commence a new investigation into the issue in light of new information the Minister had received since the Commission's recommendations were made. On 19 September 2008 the Commission replied to the Minister that it did not consider there to be reasonable grounds to commence an investigation based on the information that had been assessed at that time. The Commission informed the Minister that it would engage with interested parties and seek further information to better inform it on whether there are reasonable grounds to commence an investigation. 

The Commission will reconsider the matter after it has finalised its investigation into whether mobile termination access services (MTAS) should be subject to regulation.

On 15 December 2010, the Commission announced that it will not investigate whether the national mobile roaming service should be extended to include price because there are adequate commercial arrangements in place.

Supporting Documents

Cross Submissions on Draft Report

18/09/2007 (10 documents)

CallPlus - Cross-Submission on Draft Report on National Roaming Undertaking - 18 September 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (28 KB) (opens in a new window)
Kordia - Cross-submissions on Schedule 3 Investigation Draft Report - 18 September 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (81 KB) (opens in a new window)
NZ Communications - Cross-submissionon the Draft Report to the Schedule 3 Investigation into Amending the Roaming and Co-location Services - Restricted Version - 18 September 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (199 KB) (opens in a new window)
NZ Communications - Comment on Vodafone Undertaking on Roaming and Co-location - 18 September 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (70 KB) (opens in a new window)
NZ Communications - Annex 4 - Independent Review Adobe Acrobat PDF (578 KB) (opens in a new window)
NZ Communications - Annex 2 - Comment on Vodafone Undertaking - 31 August 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (303 KB) (opens in a new window)
NZ Communications - Annex 3 - Appendix 3 - Price Squeeze and Commerce Act Issues Adobe Acrobat PDF (22 KB) (opens in a new window)
Telecom - Cross-Submission on Draft Report on Schdule 3 Investigaion into Amending the Roaming and Co-locaion Services - 18 September 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (61 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone - Cross-Submission on Commission's Draft Roaming and Co-location Report - 18 September 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (51 KB) (opens in a new window)
Covec - Roaming: Probabilities and Retail Prices - September 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (33 KB) (opens in a new window)

Submissions on Draft Report

31/08/2007 (12 documents)

CallPlus submission.pdf Adobe Acrobat PDF () (opens in a new window)
Kordia - Submission on Schedule 3 Investigation Draft Report - 31 August 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (139 KB) (opens in a new window)
NZ Communications - Comment on the Draft Report to the Schedule 3 Investigation into Amending the Roaming and Co-location Services - Restricted Version - 31 August 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (213 KB) (opens in a new window)
Telecom Submission.pdf Adobe Acrobat PDF () (opens in a new window)
TelstraClear Submission.pdf Adobe Acrobat PDF () (opens in a new window)
TUANZ - Submission on Schedule 3 Investigation into Roaming and Co-Location Services Draft Report - 31 August 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (41 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone - Cover Report on National Roaming - August 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (191 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone - Revised Undertaking - 31 August 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (335 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone - Submission on Draft Report regarding Schedule 3 Investigation into Ameding the Roaming and Co-location Services - 31 August 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (542 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone - Undertaking in respect of National Roaming and Co-location Services - Unmarked Version - 31 August 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (393 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone further amended National Roaming & Colocation Undertaking - marked version PUBLIC.pdf Adobe Acrobat PDF (550 KB) (opens in a new window)
Woosh - Schedule 3 Investigation into Amending the Roaming and Co-location Services - 31 August 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (39 KB) (opens in a new window)

Submissions on Issues Paper and the Vodafone Undertaking

14/03/2007 (19 documents)

Business NZ - Submission on Vodafone Application for National Roaming Undertaking - 14 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (205 KB) (opens in a new window)
CallPlus - Submission on Schedule 3 Investigation into Amendments to the Roaming and Co-location Services - 9 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (27 KB) (opens in a new window)
Crown Castle - Submission on Co-location Services Amendment - 9 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (648 KB) (opens in a new window)
Econet - Submission on Co-location Services Amendment - Final Version - 13 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (576 KB) (opens in a new window)
Econet - Appendices regarding Co-location Services Amendment - 13 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (446 KB) (opens in a new window)
Econet - Submission on Co-location Services Amendment - Draft Version - 13 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (151 KB) (opens in a new window)
GoTel - Submission on Issues Paper and Vodafone Undertaking - 7 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (266 KB) (opens in a new window)
Kordia Submission.pdf Adobe Acrobat PDF () (opens in a new window)
Telecom - Submission on Issue Paper regarding Schedule 3 Investigations into Amendments to the Roamign and Co-location Services - 9 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (168 KB) (opens in a new window)
TelstraClear - Combined Submission regarding Issues Paper on A Review of Cellular Mobile Market Entry Issues and Vodafone's Undertaking on National Roaming and Co-location Services - 13 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (223 KB) (opens in a new window)
TelstraClear - Appendix 1 - Response to Commissions Issues Paper - Schedule 3 Investigations into Amendments to the Roaming and Co-location Services Adobe Acrobat PDF (194 KB) (opens in a new window)
TelstraClear - Appendix 2 - Response to Vodafone Undertaking - Schedule 3A - National Roaming and Co-location Services Adobe Acrobat PDF (134 KB) (opens in a new window)
TelstraClear - Appendix 3 - Proposeed Service Desciptions - Roaming and Co-location Services Adobe Acrobat PDF (64 KB) (opens in a new window)
TUANZ - Submission on Schedule 3 Investigation into Roaming and Co-location Services Amendments - 9 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (194 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone - Submission on Undertaking Application - 9 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (20 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone - Submission on Issues Paper regarding Schedule 3 Investigations into Amendments to the Roaming and Co-location Services - 9 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (131 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone - Market Definitions for Roaming and Co-location Services - 9 February 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (53 KB) (opens in a new window)
Vodafone - Covec Report regarding 3G Mobile Cost Modelling Summary - 3 August 2006 Adobe Acrobat PDF (762 KB) (opens in a new window)
Woosh - Submission on Schedule 3 Investigations into Amendments to the Roaming and Co-lcoation Services - 9 March 2007 Adobe Acrobat PDF (758 KB) (opens in a new window)

Mobile Schedule 3 Investigations into Amendments to the Roaming and Co-location Services

15/12/2006 (1 document)

Issues Paper_ Mobile Schedule 3 Investigation into Roaming Co-location - pdf version.pdf Adobe Acrobat PDF (90 KB) (opens in a new window)

Preliminary Letter to Industry Regarding the Mobile Market Exercise

10/05/2006 (1 document)

Commerce Commission - Letter regarding Mobile Market Competition Issues - 10 May 2006 Adobe Acrobat PDF (1.2 MB) (opens in a new window)