Abstract
This article assesses the relationship between mobile telephony, communications policy and regulation in Australia. It considers the impact of spectrum policy and regulatory decisions on competition and investment in mobile telephony services. The significance of such policies concerning the potential for convergence between mobile services and other services is considered. The regulatory policies affecting mobile telephony services are examined and are contrasted with those applying to fixed network services. It is contended that mobile telephony services in Australia are highly competitive, yet these results have not been achieved by using the regulatory instruments that are used for fixed network telephony. Moreover, the authors propose that using the same instruments for mobile telephony services as for fixed network services may constrain the growth of competition for mobile telephony and/or delay the emergence of mobile telephony services into the world of convergence.
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