This document begins the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) public inquiry into the declared domestic mobile terminating access service (the MTAS Declaration Inquiry).

The MTAS Declaration Inquiry will examine whether the current MTAS declaration should be extended, varied, revoked, allowed to expire or whether a new declaration should be made. The current MTAS declaration expires on 30 June 2019, and the ACCC is required to hold a public inquiry in the 18 month period before expiry, pursuant to subsection 151ALA(7) of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (CCA).

The MTAS Declaration Inquiry is also relevant to the separate MTAS access determination inquiry, which will examine whether to extend, vary, or revoke the MTAS Final Access Determination (FAD). The MTAS FAD sets out the regulated prices of the MTAS services and the non-price terms of access to the MTAS and also expires on 30 June 2019.

This paper:

• sets out the legislative framework for declaration and the economic rationale for declaring services like the MTAS,
• provides information on the current MTAS declaration and issues considered during that inquiry,
• provides information on the current state of the most relevant downstream market to the MTAS, i.e. the mobile services market, and
• raises issues relevant to the ACCC’s consideration of the MTAS declaration and seeks comment from stakeholders

The ACCC will accept submissions until 5pm, Friday 14 September 2018. Submissions received after this time may not be given due consideration.