The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is rethinking its method of regulating service providers and managing user identities as it faces pressure from the influx of new internet access technologies and accompanying devices.

The media regulator, in its report entitled "Technology developments in the digital economy", outlined the varied access technologies and their respective effects on consumer behaviour.

The ACMA found that the increase in Internet traffic and the proliferation of dynamic media services put "pressure on existing regulatory arrangements that are in their second decade of operation and were developed for a less complex communications business and service environment".

The regulator named user identity management as a particular cause for concern, saying that service providers moved from identity management developed for legacy systems to internet-based communications services.

"Home network users are under pressure to manage a growing number of disparate communication and application related identities coupled with their specific security requirements," said the ACMA report.

"Without standardisation, however, providers may offer bundled network and service solutions of a proprietary 'sticky' nature. The challenge for Home Networks will be developing interoperable delivery systems that are flexible enough to allow new services to be adopted from a variety of suppliers."

The report also said that the proliferation of wireless technology services and faster Internet access methods from solutions such as fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) (the capability is proposed under the National Broadband Network), create new difficulties for the ACMA and service providers alike in terms of identifying users.

"Telecommunications systems developed a proxy for individual identities by assigning a unique integer-based phone number to every household, business and end user, allowing interoperability and facilitating global communications," the report reads.

"The ACMA's numbering work program is examining the various uses made of phone numbers, including as a source of individual identity, and how these uses may be relevant in the transition to an IP-based communications environment."