A forum for telecommunications industry CEOs, the Telecommunications Industry Group (TIG), is to merge into the wider Telecommunications Carriers' Forum (TCF) in a move bosses hope will 'provide a single forum for the industry'.

The merge comes less than a year after TIG CEO RobSpray resigned in October, and was not replaced.

At the time, TIG chairman Russell Stanners said the group was waiting on crucial decisions about UFB, RBI and Telecom separation before deciding how to proceed.

Discussing the current announcement, Stanners says, "We have done a lot over the past two years to promote the value of the industry to consumers.

"As a board we have decided that the time is right to rationalise our industry representation under the banner of the TCF.”

Stanners adds that a special TCF CEO forum met for the first time last month.

"This was the first in what we expect will be a series of regular TCF CEO meetings.”