The moody teenager of NZ telecommunications is welcome to come home, if it wants. Plus: “We don’t want to clone Ralph.”

Just days into his new role as chairman of the Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF), Richard Westlake has a rebellion on his hands, with Two Degrees walking out.

Yesterday, our putative third mobile operator resigned from the self-regulatory industry body, which one manager dubbed the “Telecommunications Cartel Forum.” It claimed the body was dominated by the self-interest of Telecom, TelstraClear and Vodafone, who it said were blocking its efforts to reduce or eliminate mobile termination rates and domestic roaming charges, among other issues.

“My question is: are they picking the right target?,” says Mr Westlake.

In its quest to lobby the government on Resource Management Act reform (RMA issues have held up a number of Two Degrees’ cell towers), and ginger the Commerce Commission, which is investigating termination and roaming, “will Two Degrees have more influence?” Mr Westlake asks, "or would they have a louder voice in the TCF?"

The door has been left open if the telco wants to come back, Mr Westlake says.

The TCF retains a broad membership, from the big three telcos to crossover players like Vector and Kordia, and other smaller telco players are happy with the TCF’s performance, says Mr Westlake.

The chairman says the body has an excellent track record in a highly competitive and controversial industry.

Like the UN Security Council, only more fractious
The TCF “is deliberately structured so that nobody can dominate decision making,” says Mr Westlake. Any substantial decision requires a unanimous rather than a majority vote - a setup that prompted former chief executive Ralph Chivers to make comparisons with the UN Security Council's requirement for universal consensus.

Mr Westlake says this means any member can veto any action – as TelstraClear did, famously derailing the TCF’s attempt, at the government’s behest, to put together an ISP Code of Practice under the controversial S92.

New chairman seeks new chief exec
Mr Westlake is an independent director of Kiwibank, chairs the Standards Council of New Zealand, and has been Establishment chairman for two state-owned enterprises, MetService and Quotable Value.

He replaces founding chairman Malcolm Alexander, who had steered the TCF since its founding, in the wake of the Telecommunications Act, in 2002.

A further changing of the guard saw TCF chief executive Ralph Chivers resign last month. Yesterday, Mr Chivers began his new role, as programme manager for the government’s $1.5 billion broadband initiative.

The TCF has yet to advertise for Mr Chivers’ replacement.

The board will meet shortly to decide what sort of person it wants for the role. “However good someone’s been, you never want a clone of that person,” says Mr Westlake.