AAPT CEO Paul Broad has spoken out about his reasons for pulling his firm out of the Terria consortium - telling CommsDay that in coming days he is going to be a very vocal participant in what he terms a critical debate about the industry's future. 

Broad said he is exhausted by the partisan battle between rival National Broadband Network bidders Telstra and Terria. He claims that in reality there is a great amount of common ground which should be a starting point for what he says are the most important changes ever to impact the telecoms industry.

"It's been a personality debate, we've got to get beyond that," Broad told CommsDay. "I'm trying to get away from that and trying to get it on a much more positive trajectory, and talk about the real issues that affect consumers, affect the lifestyle and the community we're going to have going forward."

Broad admits that while his former Terria partners - which include Optus, iiNet, TPG-Soul and Primus - were "disappointed" by his move, they understood his reasons. 

Broad told CommsDay he has been trying to act as a mediator between all members of the industry during the NBN process, but said the time had come to break free from the media gag imposed by the Federal Government and enable the nation to see the real issues at stake.

"I think you'll find there's a lot more common ground amongst all of us in the industry than might be publicly perceived," he said. "Once you're in two bidding camps, it's like having a battle, you're going to lob at each other. Well I don't want to be in that battle."

Luke Coleman