Nine To Noon Telco users group disappointed in ComCom step-back
Mar 16, 2026
Craig Young, CEO of the Telecommunications Users Association, represents telco users and fights for fair competition and pricing. He discusses the Commerce Commission's proposal to remove mobile termination fee rules. He explains how termination fees work, which smaller providers rely on them, and why removing the rule could let big networks raise costs and reduce competition.
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Commission Argues Regulation Is No Longer Needed
- The Commerce Commission recommends removing mobile termination fee regulation because 2Degrees is now a full third network alongside One NZ and Spark.
- The regulator says the 2010 rule 'has done its job' and market structure no longer needs that protection.
Hidden Small Providers Could Be Squeezed
- Smaller providers and MVNOs rely on the three major mobile networks to terminate calls and could face higher wholesale costs without regulation.
- Many of these firms, like Symbio, are invisible to consumers but provide cost-effective services to retail brands.
Termination Fees Are Small But Market Critical
- Mobile termination fees are a low-level plumbing charge paid when a call or SMS crosses networks, currently around one cent a minute.
- Regulation keeps big providers from abusing that charge as they did before 2010 when they could set arbitrary high termination prices.