The ACCC's decision yesterday to suspend its telecommunications wholesale pricing review in favour of a more fundamental review of the access pricing principles shows how the unresolved Telstra separation and NBN arrangements are overshadowing the industry. 
 
The industry is undergoing a major structural reform, and the context of wholesale pricing decisions is changing dramatically. This will make it difficult to finalise wholesale pricing arrangements until the current uncertainty is removed. 
 
In addition, wholesale prices for the NBN will be set with an eye to final prices for existing wholesale broadband services if the NBN is to be a success. This means that wholesale pricing of the NBN is unlikely to be resolved until well into 2010. But this will also delay a final agreement between Telstra and the Government in the NBN because Telstra will need to know NBN wholesale prices before it can commit to using the NBN network.