POTS Potted As New Zealand Turns Off PSTN

POTS POTTED AS NEW ZEALAND TURNS OFF PSTN
[SOURCE: TelecomWeb]
New Zealand may become the first country in the world to turn off its public switched telephone network (PSTN), instead relying entirely on a next generation network (NGN), xDSL and VoIP-based voice service, according to a document released by that country's the country's Ministry of Economic Development late last week. Ostensibly, the document does no more than request comments about what the effect of the NGN plans will be on Telecom New Zealand's (TNZ) so-called "Kiwi Share Obligations" (KSO) - the requirement that the carrier provide basic phone service to all residents of the country, more formally called the Telecommunications Service Obligations (TSO). The KSO, the Ministry notes, was of "crucial importance" when TNZ was privatized in 1990.
http://www.telecomweb.com/tnd/25013.html