Communications Minister Stephen Conroy this afternoon confirmed Telstra had been kicked out of the National Broadband Network bidding process, but that all the other bidders were still in contention.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy this afternoon confirmed Telstra had been kicked out of the National Broadband
Network bidding process, but that all the other bidders were still in contention.
(Credit: ZDNet.com.au)
"The government's NBN process has always been bigger than
Telstra," Conroy said.
"The request for proposals (RFP) was specifically designed to
give proponents flexibility in preparing their proposals, and there
are very few mandatory requirements," Conroy said in a statement,
noting Telstra did not submit a small to medium enterprise
participation plan as the others — Acacia, Axia, Optus, TransACT
and the Tasmanian Government — had all done.
The minister said there were four other mandatory requirements:
That proposals be written in English
That Australian legal units of
measurement were used
That proposals include a complete and signed
proponent's declaration
And that proposals for more than one state
or territory must include a proposal for all states and
territories
The government's NBN process has always been bigger than
Telstra.
Stephen Conroy
"There was nothing to stop Telstra from submitting a complete
proposal and competing vigorously with other proponents in this
process," Conroy said, claiming the RFP was a level playing field.
"However, the Telstra board sought special treatment by proposing
its own process."
"Telstra had more than enough time and resources to fully
understand what was required of proponents in this process," the
minister added. "Telstra's Board will have to explain to its
shareholders why it has decided to sideline itself from a process
that will shape the Australian communications sector for the next
decade."
