- Three telecom companies were fined a total of $22.08 million for making misleading claims about the speed of some National Broadband Network internet plans
- The false or misleading statements were made for at least 12 months in 2019 and possibly until 2020, the court said
- All three companies admitted to making false or misleading statements in court, the regulator said, adding that some 120,000 customers were affected
CANBERRA, Australia: Australia’s competition regulator has announced that three telecom companies were fined a total of $22.08 million for making misleading claims about the speed of some National Broadband Network internet plans.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the Australian Federal Court ordered Telstra to pay A$15 million, a unit of TPG Telecom A$5 million, and Optus, a unit of Singapore Telecommunications, A$13.5 million.
The false or misleading statements were made for at least 12 months in 2019 and possibly until 2020, the court said.
All three companies admitted to making false or misleading statements in court, the regulator said, adding that some 120,000 customers were affected.
In a statement, Telstra said that between April 2019 and April 2020, it failed to verify the maximum attainable speed for some 48,000 customers.
In separate emailed responses to Reuters, Optus and TPG Telecom said they have made changes to address the concerns raised by the proceedings.
Optus said it will also re-contact customers who are eligible for refunds.
