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The great New Zealand telecommunications battle |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
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Quite a good interview with the visiting Alcatel-Lucent boss, written by someone who seems to know very little about 4G:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/tec[....]e.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10574504
All the info I've come across leads me to believe that Telecom will one day announce a move to WiMax. Perhaps Philippe Keryer thinks the same thing as he made it very clear that he thinks LTE is the best way forward.
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
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And now Telecom finally announces plans to rollout LTE with Alcatel-Lucent. Big sigh of relief!
We'll still have competition in NZ's mobile phone market for some time yet. 
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
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Thank god.  Choosing the other route was setting themselves up for failure just like with their CDMA network. I'll read the link later. Gotta go out now.
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
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Try and tell me that these aren't great deals:
I like the whole top up bonus on prepay, and the data deals look decent too. I smell a network operator change.
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yea g
Joined: Jul 02, 2008
Posts: > 500
From: New Zealand
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Ooooh sound good. I wish my phone had support for telecoms new network  oh well
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
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Yeah me too. But I figure my next phone will and that shouldn't be too far off after seeing a bit of what's on it's way. 
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
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Just wait and see how Vodafone respond.
Today I filled out a Vodafone Voice survey relating to smartphone plans and I was impressed.
Those XT plans vary from mildly better than Vodafone to mildly worse. To my mind you'd want either a decent price advantage or a decent improvement in speed/reception. Vodafone have pledged to match on price so its only the latter that is at issue and I would expect urban areas to constantly seesaw as to reception advantage while rural areas will go one way of the other.
If you like those plans, just wait til you see 2 Degrees in August...
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
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On 2009-05-28 12:39:19, carkitter wrote:
If you like those plans, just wait til you see 2 Degrees in August...
You sound like you know something we don't?
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
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Hahaha - no, I don't have any insider information unfortunately.
But the tone of the press releases has been clear for months, XT was always about playing catch up to Vodafone especially when it comes to high end products and services. 2Degrees will target the low end customers and are looking to steal Telecoms landline customers by offering a mobile as lanline plan.
In other words XT want to do what Vodafone is doing but better, 2 Degrees want to turn the whole market on it's head. I'm looking forward to it, if it looks like they might reach that all important critical mass, I might even join them.
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
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An interesting opinion piece from Ernie Newman - Chief Executive of TUANZ, the Telecommunications Users Association of NZ.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/tel[....]id=93&objectid=10578163&pnum=0
I especially like this bit:
"...But to single out one company seems strange.
It seemed even more so when the NZX came out this week to argue that a reason for maintaining Telecom in New Zealand hands was to provide critical mass for the stock market and the broking industry.
I know how much of a premium I'm willing to pay on my phone bill to support a job maintenance plan for sharebrokers and lawyers. Do you?..."
Seems like 'Financial Industry Entitlement Syndrome' has reached NZ. Is it as contagious as Swine Flu?
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
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Vodafone are giving away 3GB of data and 1000 PXT messages per month to existing and new iPhone owners in addition to current allowances, according to this.
Edit: Now confirmed.
3GB of Mobile Data + 1000 PXT Free to customers using iPhone or Smart plans.
Offer valid between 1 July and 30 Sept only. Something interesting may follow... watch to see Vodafone's new iPhone plans on 10 July.
Available to new customers immediately, and to existing customers from the beginning of their next monthly billing period.
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2009-07-04 05:31 ] |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
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TelstraClear goes back to Vodafone:
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/[....]-back-bed-with-vodafone-104824
Talk about egg on face! You'd think they would have asked the obvious question about access to XT but no clearly not. Now they have to roam in Oz on VodafoneAU instead of their Telstra parent - doh! Telstra business customers with Mobile plans must be scrathing their heads!
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
TVNZ's Sunday programme ran a confusing summary of what's happening in the mobile space at the moment.
They didn't really ask any probing questions of 2 Degrees CEO Mike Reynolds, such as "Are you still going to be the CEO next week?" or get any useful information on pricing, handsets, it's deal with Vodafone or replacing landlines with mobiles (which 2 Degrees is keen to do).
Instead they decided to concentrate on the issue of 'On Net plans' (better pricing when making calls/txts to friends on the same network as you) and Mobile Termination Rates (MTR, what each network charges the other when you call/txt someone on another network). Both important issues, yes, but too important to be briefly touched upon in the way Sunday did. MTR affects every telecommunications industry in every country of the world, and no other examples were provided. Nor was Vodafone's example of millions of $$$'s of savings to NZer's from the existing agreement with Telecom. Nor any investigation into how much it costs for light to travel from Vodafone's piece of optical fibre to Telecoms piece and vice versa.
Just enough to stir up people's anger and keep the "we're being ripped off" sentiment going a bit longer.
On net pricing managed to survive here for as long as it has because you are either a Telecom person or a Vodafone person, and that situation grew out of the fact that Telecom avoided using compatible technology to Vodafone (and 70% of the world's subscribers) and still does.
The arrival of Two Degrees will bring us closer to a UK style of market but how much closer it remains to be seen. VodafoneNZ's Russel Stanners can't claim to be unaware of the UK environment because Vodafone Group is a UK company. Likewise TelecomNZ's Paul Reynolds has first hand experience with British Telecom and the same sort of regulatory reform that is now happening here. Both will know what a market without 'On Net' pricing looks like. It's only a matter of time - I hope. XT's One rate pricing is a step in the right direction, but not cheap.
2 Degrees is not here yet so Sunday pushing the issue is a bit pointless right now especially as it's all going through legal processes which can't be talked about, before it gets presented to Communications Minister Steven Joyce.
No mention of the femtocells that VodafoneUK is rolling out and when they'll be coming here, and how that will improve reception and download speeds. Nothing about the breakdown in the relationship between Telecom and TelstraClear. Nothing about the fact that XT is just beginning and needs years to get a return on investment before it gets replaced while Vodafone's 3G network has had 4yrs to provide an income and they're now getting geared up for 4G.
I guess once over lightly is the TV land specialty.
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
"Stoner phones" and details revealed as 2 Degrees retail partners bumble websites and advertising.
In a move so clumsy as to give good reason to the Non Disclosure Agreements used by VodafoneNZ and Apple err... everywhere, 2 Degrees retail partners have let the cat out of the bag confirming what everyone already widely expected - that 2 Degrees are targeting the low end Prepay market inhabited by teenage girls, old people and the technologically challenged. Derisively called "Stoner phones" by one wit on Geekzone, low end Samsung's and Nokia's abound on the website of Warehouse Stationery, while Progressive Supermarkets websites mention SIM cards costing as little as $2 with $2 loaded on them. Unbelieveably, the reporter fron NBR was able to procure a 2 Degrees SIM ahead of launch from Dick Smith Electronics.
See here:
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/[....]g-phone-pricing-details-106879
Is 2 Degrees retailing in good hands? You be the judge...
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2009-08-04 05:52 ] |
Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
How keen are you guys about buying a mobile phone from a service station? A little ironic when service station forecourt warnings say to leave your phone switched off/in your pocket. Also, supermarkets which are well known for selling very cheap electronics. Sure it's a budget network, but a supermarket hardly screams "we're a trustworthy mobile phone reseller". That's one supermarket receipt you'd want to keep.
Also, the Nokia E63 at $649 can't really be called a budget phone. A budget smartphone, sort of, but it goes to show they aren't completely aiming at the low end of the market. Personally I'm interested to see their pricing more than anything, because I get the feeling their phone range won't include the brands I'm interested in.
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Posted: 2009-05-26 14:18
