Telecommunications groups to merge

14 July 2011

The Telecommunications Industry Group (TIG) plans to merge into the Telecommunications Carriers’ Forum (TCF) to extend the reach of the group and provide a single forum for the industry, TIG Chairman Russell Stanners and TCF CEO David Stone announced today.

Originally established as a forum for CEOs to discuss industry issues and promote the industry to customers and stakeholders, Stanners says the TIG has achieved many of the goals it set when it was formed in May 2009.

“We have done a lot over the past two years to promote the value of the industry to consumers, including staging the highly successful Planet 2010 conference which showcased the future and value of communications technology to New Zealand; establishing an industry-wide revenue assurance database which supports members co-operating to reduce fraud in the industry; and acting as one voice on key industry issues.”

Stanners says that the industry faces significant transformation as a result of the Ultrafast Broadband (UFB) initiative.

“As a board we have decided that the time is right to rationalise our industry representation under the banner of the TCF. A TCF CEO forum met for the first time in June and Steven Joyce, Minister of Communications attended. This was the first in what we expect will be a series of regular TCF CEO meetings.”

He says that the TCF is the logical place for the TIG because of the TCF’s existing infrastructure and growing membership.
TCF CEO David Stone says the amalgamation makes sense.

“Many of the organisations represented on the TIG are also members of the TCF. This approach is a simple and efficient way to bring together industry views at all levels under a single banner. I welcome the opportunity to work with the CEOs of the TIG and TCF.”

-ENDS-

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